April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month! This year, the Missouri Department of Social Services (DSS) Children's Division (CD) is drawing attention to the "village" it takes to raise a child and keep them safe.
We want to THANK YOU for your dedication to safety for Missouri's most vulnerable population. Your love, support, and consistency for Missouri children is critical. CD appreciates you and is proud to have such passionate and loving partners in keeping kids safe!
CD is looking for foster parents who are willing to mentor and support other foster parents in their foster parenting journey. If you are passionate about foster parenting and willing to spend a little of your time supporting other foster parents, while also being an ambassador and advocate for foster parenting in Missouri, please apply to become a Foster Care Ambassador!
As a placement provider, you may encounter stressful situations while supporting youth in your care. Show Me Healthy Kids (SMHK) would like to share information about available services that can provide additional support for youth struggling in their environment.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP)
A Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) is a structured outpatient treatment option designed for individuals who need a higher level of care to manage a serious mental health condition. PHP offers comprehensive mental health services, including:
- Individual and group therapy
- Medication management
- Coping Skills Training
Unlike inpatient care, PHP participants return home each night, allowing them to remain in a familiar environment. This program may be an appropriate alternative to residential care or a step-down option from a higher level of care. Virtual PHP options may also be available. PHP programs may serve both adolescents and adults.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP)
An Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is ideal for those who don't require inpatient treatment but would benefit from more structured support than traditional outpatient services provide. IOP is often recommended for youth transitioning from a residential facility to a less restrictive placement.
IOP typically includes:
- Three hours of services, three days a week
- Virtual IOP options may also be available.
IOP programs may also serve both adolescents and adults. Most participants engage in IOP for four to six weeks, but the duration can vary based on individual progress and needs.
To find out if PHP/IOP are available in your area, contact Show Me Healthy Kids at 1-877-236-1020, ext. 6075125 (TTY/TDD 711) or email HSH_Anchors@homestatehealth.com.
You’re invited to Nurture. Thrive. Repeat. - A foster care appreciation luncheon and resource fair!
Thursday, May 1, 2025 | Doors open at 9:30 a.m. Program begins at 11:00 a.m.
Old Glass Place | 521 E. St. Louis Street, Springfield, MO, 65806
Season 3, Episode 3: "Find some way to get involved."
This month, our hosts have a conversation with Angel Williams, a former foster child who became a foster parent. Angel vulnerably shares her experience in the system in Tennessee, the challenges she's had in her journey to become a foster parent, and gives a raw and honest look at what it means to love the kids in your care knowing they may not be with you forever. Angel's story is an example of how valuable a traditional foster home can be for a child or teen in foster care.
Angel started a nonprofit organization, All For Family, based around helping children maintain connections and bonds to thrive physically, mentally, and educationally.
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Show Me Healthy Kids Lunch and Learn
SMHK Benefits and Care Management: Support for Youth in Foster Care
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Time: 11:30 a.m. -12:20 p.m. (Central Time)
Location: Virtual (Zoom)
After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the session.
Family Forward's Development Trauma Center
Several trainings available to attend! In person trainings are located at 11358 Van Cleve Ave., St. Louis, MO. For questions about registration, feel free to email Intake.dept@familyforwardmo.org.
Licensed Resource Provider Annual In-Service Training Requirement for 2024
This training is an overview of medical forms, informed consent, Alternative Consenter, and pharmacy information. The purpose of this mandatory training is to provide licensed resource providers with critical information that must be followed when a child or youth in Division custody is prescribed a psychotropic medication and placed in their home. Successful completion of this training will require the licensed resource provider to pass the quiz with a score of 80% or more. When the training is complete, take a screen shot of the quiz completion score and email it to your licensing worker, along with your name, and the date you completed the training. Please use "D170" as the subject line of your email.
If you do not have access to the online training, you can request a paper copy from your licensing worker. This training should have been completed by December 31, 2024 – so if you have not completed it yet – please do so ASAP.
You can find the training in the table under "Annual In-Service 2024."
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
Training for Parents | Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition (foster-adopt.org)
KVC Missouri Trainings
DSS Foster Parent Training Opportunities
National Training and Development Curriculum for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Administrative Hold* is used in responding to certain licensing situations, which will more effectively serve resource parents, CD and most importantly, the safety of children.
The Administrative Hold status does not prevent the license or approval from expiring.
For an Administrative Hold, the resource development worker should notify the provider via a phone call as soon as possible. A follow-up letter should then be sent explaining why the Hold is in effect and how it can be removed or resolved. If the Hold was requested by the provider, the resource development worker should follow up with a letter verifying their request.
Administrative Hold is required when:
- An Out-of-Home Investigation (OHI) is occurring on one or more of your placement children
- A Child Abuse and Neglect investigation is occurring on one or more of your biological/adoptive children
- Licensing concerns have been noted
- Your biological/adoptive child has been placed in residential care
Administrative Hold is AVAILABLE when:
- You have a new birth and need time to adjust
- You need a break
- The FST has recommended no new placements
- You are experiencing a significant change
For more information, please refer to the Missouri Child Welfare Manual.
*It is important to note, being on Administrative Hold is not to be punitive, it is to give Children’s Division and yourself time to work on any issues or any changes that are occurring in your home!
Resource providers may be eligible to claim foster children as dependents and for a tax deduction. Both of these benefits require the state to provide documentation in order for them to be eligible to claim these benefits on their taxes. Resource providers should be provided with the Resource Provider Income Tax Foster Youth Dependent Claim Letter (CD-184) for any child placed in their care for 2024. This form can be completed locally by the child’s case manager or local designee. Beginning with the 2022 tax year, Missouri resource providers also became eligible for a tax deduction of up to $5,000. You can learn more about this tax deduction from the Missouri Department of Revenue.
The 2024 Foster Parent Tax Deduction Notice is mailed by Central Office to all eligible resource providers who had at least one foster child placed in their care during the tax year. Case manager’s do not have to take any steps regarding the Foster Parent Tax Deduction. Learn more about the Foster Parent Tax Deduction.
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.
Family Resource Centers
Family resource Centers are not-for-profit agencies that work with Children's Division to provide support, services, and resources to meet the unique needs of foster, adoptive, relative, and guardianship children and their families.
To find the Family Resource Center in your area, check out our map at the bottom of this page!
We want to hear from you! If there is information you would like covered in the next Foster Parent Connections Newsletters, please email Abigail.J.Smith@dss.mo.gov.
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