Short Term and Emergency Foster Care Program Launching Soon!
As we continue to adapt to the ever-changing needs of vulnerable children and families in our community, The Salvation Army Children’s Services is excited to be launching a new program for Emergency and Short-Term Foster Care. This program is ideal for families who:
- Have a heart to help but aren’t ready or able to make a long-term commitment
- Are more/less available during different seasons of the year (i.e. teachers in the summer, empty nesters who have spare bedrooms while their kids are away at college)
- Are new to fostering and would like to gain experience before accepting long-term placements
- Want to make a big impact in a short time
Emergency and Short-Term foster homes will take children on an emergency basis, often with little or no information known about them, and agree to care for them for a maximum of 30 days. During those 30 days, families will receive a higher-than-typical per diem rate for the children’s care. They will get to know the children’s needs, personalities, and preferences and record this information so that they can have a healthy transition into their longer-term foster home. They may take them to foster closets to ensure they have a full wardrobe and all of their personal necessities and help get them caught up on overdue medical or dental appointments. In some of these cases, placements may be short-term and children will be able to go home or transition to relatives before the 30 days is up. In other cases, caseworkers will use the 30 days as well as the emergency foster parents’ observations and input about the child to help search for an optimal long-term foster placement for them.
As the foster care crisis in our region intensifies, short-term placements may help to bridge the gap for children, setting them up for more long-term stability and lessening the number of children who end up in institutions instead of families. Here are some examples of situations where a short-term foster care placement may be helpful.
Note: all names, pictures, and stories are fictional but are representative of real situations.
Emergency Foster Care: Liam’s Story
Today was an extremely scary day for 4-year-old Liam. He was awakened to the sounds of his mother shouting at the door to the motel room where they live together. As he peeked over the edge of his blanket, he saw that there were two police officers standing outside the door.
Meanwhile, Children and Youth receives word that the police arrested a woman this morning, and she had her child with her. She was intoxicated and uncooperative, and refused to give them the name of the little boy’s father or any other family members who could care for him.
After watching his mother drive away in the back of a police car, Liam hugged his stuffed dinosaur and wondered if he would ever see her again. He also wondered who was going to feed him breakfast since his mother was gone. Before long, a lady came to the hotel and told Liam that she was going to take care of him and take him somewhere safe. She helped him get dressed and find his shoes, and got out a bag that she packed with his pajamas, some extra clothes, his toothbrush from the bathroom, and some of his toys. The rest of his clothes and toys didn’t fit in the bag so she promised him he could get them later. She held his hand and brought him to her car and helped him buckle into a car seat in the back seat. Liam’s mom didn’t have a car, so he wasn’t used to riding in a car seat. It felt scary and the straps were tight. But he was happy when the lady stopped at McDonald’s and ordered him some breakfast.
Meanwhile, Heather and Mike received a call from The Salvation Army Children’s Services asking them if they would be willing to be an emergency foster home for Liam. They said yes, and the caseworker drove Liam to their home. Heather watched as the caseworker unbuckled the car seat and led a tiny little blond-haired boy up the driveway. He was wearing a blue Paw Patrol shirt and too-small little sweatpants with a hole in the left knee. In his hand, he was tighly clutching the handle of a plastic grocery bag stuffed to the brim with a little stuffed dinosaur peeking out of the top.
Later when she unpacked his bag, Heather felt sad to see how little he had come with: just some stretched out, stained pajamas, an old chewed up toothbrush, two t-shirts, and a couple of action figures. But thankfully, she knew just what to do for him. The next morning, she made an appointment at The Kindness Project. As they walked in the front door, Liam’s little eyes lit up at the sight of a whole display of Squishmallows. The volunteer told him he could pick out whichever one he wanted. “You mean, to keep?” he asked, incredulous. “Yes, absolutely!” she replied with a big smile. “In fact, we’re going to let you pick out a whole bunch of new things that will be yours to keep.”
An hour later, Heather and Liam were walking out the door with a giant blue duffel bag stuffed with brand new clothing, shoes, hygiene products, a backpack, toys, and a coat. It also contained a set of blue and white striped sheets and a Paw Patrol blanket that Liam picked out especially for his new bed.
Over the next few days, Heather and Mike started to learn more about Liam. They learned that he loved all kinds of fruit, especially watermelon, but wasn’t a fan of meat except chicken nuggets. He enjoyed taking long bubble baths with his Paw Patrol figures. At first, he was very nervous around their dog, Niko, but slowly he grew to feel safer around him and even give him some pets. He thought it was hilarious to watch Niko play fetch in the backyard. Meanwhile, he developed a cough and runny nose. Heather took him to urgent care where they determined that he was probably allergic to their two cats. This was important information for the caseworker to know as she searched for a longer-term foster home for Liam: it would be best for him to be placed in a home without cats.
Thankfully, it turned out that another foster home was not needed. After three days in care, the county was able to locate Liam’s father. And after another 5 days, they had done all of the necessary checks to confirm that his father was fit and willing to care for Liam. Mike helped Liam to pack all of his old and new belongings into the big blue duffel bag and they loaded it up into the caseworker’s car, with Liam buckled safely into the car seat (which he was now used to riding in and didn’t feel scary anymore). While Mike and Heather were sad to see him go, they felt happy that this precious little guy could be back with his family where he belonged. They felt so happy they were able to be there for him during this scary time in his life, and help him feel safe and loved for the short time they had him.
Short-Term Foster Care: Destiny’s Story
Destiny is a bubbly, outgoing 15 year old girl who has had a rough go of things recently. Four months ago, she was placed into foster care due to ongoing concerns of truancy, homelessness, and substance abuse by her mother. She was placed with her maternal aunt. Everything was going great until her aunt became pregnant with a high-risk pregnancy. She expressed to Children and Youth that she no longer felt like she was able to care for her niece, especially once her baby arrived, citing concerns about Destiny’s behavior and worries that she would not be able to manage her along with a newborn. Since no other family members were willing or able to care for Destiny, Children and Youth began searching for a foster home for her. It was not an easy task because homes for teenagers are few and far between. Unfortunately, before a home could be found, Destiny’s aunt was admitted to the hospital and placed on bedrest for the foreseeable future. Destiny needs a place to go, and she needs it now.
In the meantime, Destiny’s mother has been continuing to struggle with the complex problems that led to Destiny’s removal from her home. Her housing continues to be unstable, and she has now lost her job. Her caseworker is helping her to get assistance with services to help address these problems, but she is not yet ready to have her daughter back with her.
But thankfully, Janet, a short-term foster parent, is available to help! Janet is a high school English teacher so teenagers don’t scare her. On the contrary, she knows how amazing and fun they can be. Since it is currently summer, Janet has offered to be available for emergency and short-term placements since she has more free time than she would during the school year. She commits to letting Destiny stay with her for a 30 day period while a more permanent home is found for her.
Later that night, Janet picks up Destiny from the county office. She has her belongings neatly packed into a backpack and suitcase that her aunt let her borrow. She is terrified, because this will be the first time she has ever lived with anyone other than her family. Not only that, but she’s worried about her aunt and sad about having to leave her so suddenly after being with her for so long. But she is relieved to see that Janet looks kind. On their way home, Janet offers to stop at the grocery store and pick up snacks and foods that Destiny would like to eat. As they shop together, Janet tells her about herself and her home, including her two little dogs, Pixie and Muffin. At first, Destiny feels shy about picking food and doesn’t want to pick anything too expensive. But Janet puts her at ease by throwing things randomly into the cart. “Do you like chips? Here we go! How about Twizzlers – they’re my favorite! Better get you your own pack!” Soon, their cart is rounded out with yogurt, Hot Pockets, and Pop Tarts. “I haven’t had these in years! I used to love these when I was little!” Destiny says with a giggle.
Over the next few weeks, Janet enjoys getting to know Destiny and finding out about her unique needs, hopes, and dreams. For example, she learns that Destiny is definitely NOT a morning person, and sometimes needs reminders throughout the day to make sure she is eating enough and staying hydrated. She confides in Janet that she doesn’t like school because it’s “pointless,” but after digging deeper, Janet begins to wonder if Destiny is struggling to keep up with the material, and suggests to her caseworker that she may benefit from being evaluated for an IEP to give her the extra support she needs. Destiny also tells Janet that she would love to play basketball, but has never been able to due to how much she has moved around in the last few years. Even though Destiny’s aunt expressed concerns about her behavior, Janet quickly realizes that when given the right space and access to coping strategies, Destiny is a delightful and respectful young woman. She strongly believes that with the right love and support, Destiny’s potential is unlimited.
Before the end of the 30 days, Destiny’s caseworker is able to use Janet’s feedback to help find Destiny a great long-term foster home. They have their first visit right at Janet’s home where Destiny feels safe and calm, and discuss their family’s expectations as well as what Destiny needs and wants to be successful in their home. The move happens slowly with Destiny setting the pace. As they say good-bye, Janet invites her to come back whenever she needs a place to stay. When she finally unpacks her suitcase in her new room, Destiny smiles when she finds a family-size bag of Twizzlers tucked inside.
Short-Term Foster Care: Maya and Jackson’s Story
Greg and Jen are short-term foster parents who specialize in respite care. Since Jen is a stay at home mom to their three kids, her schedule is flexible and she is always happy to have another child or two to care for. Recently, she received a call from The Salvation Army Children’s Services about two children in need of a short-term respite placement. Maya and Jackson are two siblings who are placed in another Salvation Army foster home. Maya is an adorable, rambunctious 3 year old and Jackson is a sweet, tiny six month old baby. The children have been placed in their foster home since Jackson came home from the NICU five months ago. Those foster parents are traveling to Mexico for a destination wedding of the foster mother’s younger sister. Unfortunately, the children’s birth parents did not grant permission for the children to get their passports and go along with the family, so a respite placement is needed for the 10 days that they are gone.
Greg and Jen are happy to say yes to caring for these children. They set up a phone call with the children’s foster parents to learn about their likes and dislikes, personalities, and special needs. They learn that Maya has speech therapy every Tuesday, and that both children visit with their parents on Mondays and Wednesdays. The foster mom says she’ll make sure to send along some of the children’s favorite toys and snacks as well as all of the clothing they’ll need for the week and Jackson’s specialized formula and bottles.
Greg and Jen’s three kids are excited to have little ones to play with. Their 9 year old daughter is especially excited to get to help her mom care for a baby, while their 4 year old daughter thinks it will be fun to have another little girl to play with. Their 6 year old son isn’t so sure how he feels about the whole thing – he wishes the last respite placement they had was coming back, since it was two boys around his age that he loved playing with. But Jen reassures him that while this time it’s little ones, maybe next time it will be big boys again! As a family, helping out other children and sharing their home and family with them is something they love to be able to do.
Emergency and Short-Term Foster Care: YOUR Story
Would you like to learn more about becoming an emergency or short-term foster home? We would love to connect with you! We are currently searching for families who:
- Live within an hour’s drive of our Allentown office
- Are at least 21 years of age
- Are single or married and any gender identity or sexual orientation
- Either have one stay at home parent, or an alternative plan for arranging childcare on short notice if parent(s) work
- Have a safe home (can be owned or rented) with enough room for a child – foster children can share a room with your biological children as long as they are the same gender if they are over the age of 5
- Are willing to care for children on an emergency basis (accepting same or next-day placements) and for a maximum of 30 days
We anticipate the greatest needs for this program will be for teenagers, children with special needs, and children just coming into care whose needs are not yet known. With the exception of respite care for children already placed in other foster homes, it is unlikely that emergency care would be needed for infants or young toddlers. Emergency and short-term care homes will be able to set their preferences for age range, gender, number of children, and level of need.
Please contact us to begin the process of becoming an emergency or short-term foster care family.
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