 March 15, 2024 Vol 4, Issue 3
 Hope for the Journey Conference
June 7 & 8 | Columbia, MO | $25 for one day, $40 for both days, $55 at the door
Hope for the Journey will dive into Trust-Based Relational Intervention® Connecting, Empowering, and Correcting Principles to help parents, teachers, social workers, educators, and pastors who work with children. We will have four general sessions and three workshops with experts from community organizations.
Meals, snacks, and drinks will be provided.
CEUs available for professionals.
If you have questions, contact Paige Douce.
 Children's Division Caregiver Portal
The Children’s Division now has a Children’s Division Caregiver Portal for foster, relative, respite, legal guardianship and adoptive families! This portal is the first phase of a multi-year project. This phase allows caregivers to see their demographics, what placements they have, and their financial information. To visit this portal please log into https://my.mo.gov/gsp?id=childrens_division_caregiver_portal.
If you have any trouble, please email FosterCare@dss.mo.gov and we will assist you.
Healthy Children & Youth (HCY) Forms
MO HealthNet no longer requires specific HCY screening forms to be completed by medical providers and previous HCY Screening Guide forms are no longer available through eForms or the MO HealthNet website. MO HealthNet requires that the medical provider document in the patient’s medical record that a preventative screening was provided. The provider can document the screenings in an electronic or written medical record and must contain all of the components of a full HCY screening or documentation if some services were refused by the legal authorized consenter. It is the responsibility of the medical provider to document within their electronic medical record or written record system.
The Call to Foster Podcast: S2E3
“The whole system isn't made up of that horrible news headline.”
Season 2 Episode 3: Shasta, Jessica, and Ashton talk with Missouri Foster Parent Pauline Roberts in this episode. Pauline shares a lot of practical advice and wisdom with for future and current foster parents. She stresses the importance of remembering that foster parents are coming into this family's story at one of the worst possible moments imaginable. These parents love their children and she is passionate about knowing the main goal of foster care, reunification. Listen along as she speaks candidly and whole-heartedly about her journey as a foster parent.
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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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 Family Dynamics. This theme provides an overview of the impact fostering or adopting can have on family dynamics including the impact on marital relationships, biological children, foster or adoptive children already living in the home and extended family members. The theme helps parents who are fostering or adopting gain insight and increased understanding of how their family may need to adjust, as well as strategies that they can use to support healthy family dynamics. You may find these trainings through the Training page for Foster Parents.
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!
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
Direct Deposit
Direct deposit is available and recommended for resource providers being paid through the FACES Financial System. If a provider is interested in having direct deposit, please complete the Direct Deposit application (CD-122) and attach a voided check or a letter from the bank. The form and documentation should be sent to the FACES Payment Unit by mail (PO Box 1082, Jefferson City, MO 65102) or email (DFAS.FACESPaymentUnit@dss.mo.gov) for data entry. It takes ten (10) days from the date the application is entered into the system for the direct deposit to become effective.
The Office of Child Advocate (OCA) was established in 2002 as an agent of accountability regarding the Children’s Division. The OCA operates under the Office of Administration and is independent of the Department of Social Services, Children’s Division, the Department of Mental Health, and the Juvenile Court. The OCA provides an avenue through which citizens are able to obtain an independent and impartial review of disputed decisions, actions, and inactions regarding any child at risk of abuse, neglect, or other harm. They will investigate, and act on complaints regarding the Children’s Division. The OCA makes case specific and system-wide recommendations as necessary. Link to learn more: https://oca.mo.gov/
Foster Family Mentors
Are you in need of help or assistance as a Foster Parent? We have Foster Care Ambassadors who are seasoned Foster parents willing to be a mentor to another Foster family. If you are interested, please email FosterCare@dss.mo.gov and we will pair you up with a Foster Care Ambassador. This is for all foster parents whether you are brand new or have been fostering for a long time. It is for all of our families whether traditional, relative, emergency, respite, or elevated needs.
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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