 November 15, 2023 Vol 3, Issue 11
The Call to Foster Podcast: S1E11
"There are no kids too far gone."
Season 1 Episode 11: In honor of National Adoption Month, we spoke to adoptive parent and Southwest Regional Director for the Children's Division, Pam Alston. Pam brings a unique perspective to our podcast as an employee of the Children's Division. Her story is a perfect example of how children might find you and their permanent home through foster care. While this podcast is usually focused on reunification, as that is the first goal when a child enters care, sometimes a child is seeking more than a temporary loving home, and you could be the one to provide it.
Please subscribe to and share this podcast with anyone you know who might be considering fostering! You can listen to the podcast on most popular podcast platforms.
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The Fair and Impartial Grievance Process
Sometimes you might have concerns about decisions that are made for your foster child or you may disagree with the case plan. If you cannot resolve a concern with a child’s case manager, please reach out to their supervisor. If you and the supervisor are unable to come to a resolution, you can address the issue with the circuit manager. It is always best to attempt to resolve your concerns informally through the chain of command; however, there may be times you want to request a fair and impartial grievance process to address licensure, case management decisions, and delivery of service issues that could not be successfully resolved. In those situations, the following options are available.
Fair Hearing Requests (CD-53)
The Fair Hearing process is to be used for the following: foster/relative home license status denial, issuance or revocation; adoptive home approval or denial; foster/adoptive care (FA) license approval, denial or revocation; adoption or legal guardianship subsidy.
Service Delivery Grievance Process (CS-131)
The Service Delivery Grievance process is the process for families to express concerns of perceived inequities, unfair treatment, or dissatisfaction with agency actions or behaviors, not covered by other grievance procedures. Any resource provider may file a grievance with the exception of resource providers who work with contracted agencies to provide care. These resource providers must utilize the process outlined by the contracted foster care case management agency.
Alternative Care Review Board (ACRB)(CD-70)
The Alternative Care Review Board (ACRB) is to be used when the alternative care (foster/relative/adoptive or foster/adoptive care) parent disagrees with any decision made by Children’s Division (CD) regarding a case management issue involving an individual alternative care child who is, or has been, in the claimant’s physical custody. Requests for ACRB should be made verbally or in writing to the local county office within 10 days of the disputed event.
Family Support Team Decision Review (CD-190)
The procedure to provide oversight for decisions made by Family Support Teams is to ensure that all team members have a voice and that a consensus decision is made if the member believes there was a procedure error or specific examples of perceived bias.
Adoption Staffing Team Decision Review for Family Not Selected (CD-190)
The procedure to provide oversight for the family not selected made by an Adoption Staffing Team is to provide the family not selected and other team members a voice when there was a procedure error or specific examples of perceived bias.
Trainings & Events
Right Time Trainings
You now have access to what is called National Training Development Curriculum (NTDC) Right Time Trainings. There are 15 trainings and they are all 1 hour long. There is a different topic for each training. Some of the examples include Building Children’s Resilience, Building Parental Resilience, Family Dynamics, Managing Placement Transitions, Responding to Children in Crisis, and Sexual Trauma. We will highlight each of these trainings in this newsletter.
This month we are highlighting the training called Responding to Children in Crisis. This theme highlights some of the difficulties children who have experienced trauma, separation or loss can have in regulating themselves. The theme reviews the different phases of crisis and provide parents who are fostering or adopting with strategies to proactively prevent a crisis from occurring. This theme reviews ways to keep the children safe when they are having a crisis and strategies that can help to de-escalate the situation. You may find these trainings through the Training page for Foster Parents.
 Ever feel like you just need a RECESS? Remember that sweet time when you got to put your pencil down, leave your work behind and head for the playground? We invite you to "Come Out to Play" at RE: Conference, February 2-3, 2024.
We have a lot in store for you this year, but here are a few highlights:
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Kondo Simfukwe is returning! Kondo's amazing delivery touched everyone in attendance last year and several were asking for his return even before he was finished.
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Robyn Gobbel - highly sought after therapist, podcast host and author of "Raising Kids with Big, Baffling, Behaviors." She will join us Friday and will also do a full-day Pre-Conference Workshop on Thursday!
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Stephanie Fast - international adoptee and author of "She is Mine"
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Mike Goodwin will be our comedian this year. He was featured on America's Got Talent in 2021.
- A new Friday night marriage seminar, "Real Encouragement for Couples," brought to us by Ken Howard - one of our most requested breakout speakers! This is an optional add-on.
- Pampering and more pampering.... and of course, NO WAY gifts! Over $24K worth was given out in 2023.
Look for more exciting speaker and breakout information to be released soon on our conference website.
Follow along on our Facebook page and Instagram. Be sure to share these with others in your foster/adoption/kinship circles and bring them along.
Show Me Healthy Kids: An Evening With Home State Health
November 16, 2023 at 6-7:30 pm
Show Me Healthy Kids (Home State Health) Provides coordinated medical and behavioral health care services for youth who are in DSS custody (foster care and DYS), former foster children, and for individuals receiving adoption and guardianship subsidy. Did you know: Your child can earn money for well care doctor visits? Birthparents can utilize transportation to visit their children? Some children qualify for a free sensory kit? This presentation will cover these benefits along with information on how SMHK can collaborate with Children's Division, resource providers and community partners to ensure the best outcomes for our youth in foster care. Bring your questions and learn about these existing and expanded benefits and more.
Know Your Rights, Know Your Role
November 18, 2023 at 9-11:30 am
Understanding the foster care system can be challenging and overwhelming while you’re also providing care to children who’ve experienced trauma. Often parents are given incorrect or contradictory information, leaving them feeling unsupported and frustrated. This training will address common questions and situations for fostering families.
LGBTQ+ Trainings
The Human Rights Campaign’s All Children - All Families has over 30 webinars on various LGBTQ+ inclusion topics you can watch when you have time.
Let's Talk Podcast
The “Let’s Talk” podcast series was launched in November 2021 as part of National Runaway Prevention Month. “Let’s Talk” is aimed at elevating the voices of young people as they share their stories and highlight the complexities and intersections that are witnessed by the 4.2 million young people experiencing homelessness across the United States each year. This podcast features discussions that may be triggering to our audiences, covering topics that include suicide, intimate partner violence, institutionalization, child sexual abuse material, gun violence, addiction, and various forms of discrimination. Listener discretion is advised!
2023 Annual In-Service Training Reminder
All licensed resource providers are required to complete the one hour annual in-service training for 2023: “The 4C’s of Healthy Sleep for Missouri Foster Resource Providers." (C170) The purpose of this training is to improve sleep education and child sleep health as one pathway to reduce or eliminate the need for psychotropic medications for sleep or daytime mood/behavior. Successful completion of training will require the licensed resource provider to pass the quiz with a score of 80% or more.
If you are a licensed resource provider, you can locate the training on our website. Scroll down to Annual In-service Training. When the training is complete, the licensed resource provider is required to:
- Obtain a screen shot of the quiz completion score
- Create an e-mail that includes their name, date and C170 code number
- Send the e-mail to their licensing worker
Resource providers who do not have access to the online training can request a paper copy from their licensing worker. This training must be completed by Friday, December 15, 2023.
The following links will take you to a multitude of training opportunities that are available for in-service hours:
Parent Cafe Training Institute (missouri.edu)
Foster Parent College - Online Training for Foster, Adoptive, and Kinship Parents and Caregivers
Training | Child Welfare Information Gateway
All Courses - FosterAdopt Connect Training (thinkific.com)
Family Development Training - Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association
Foster Parent Identification Cards
All Foster Parents should have a Foster Parent ID card. This is provided to you after you are licensed. If you do not have an ID card please email FosterCare@dss.mo.gov and we will get you the application.
We want to hear from you! If there is information you would like covered in the next Foster Parent Connections Newsletters email, Melissa.J.Selsor@dss.mo.gov.
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