Foster and Adoptive Parent Responsibilities

1. Toward Their Foster/Adoptive Child(ren)

• Have a commitment to facilitate the healing process of the therapeutic child.
• Implement responsibilities and action plan outlined in the Individual Service Plan.
• Maintain a positive and nurturing home environment.
• Accept and show unconditional positive regard for the therapeutic child, even in difficult situations.
• Consult with the Treatment Team regarding the needs and care of the child.
• Meet Level of Care requirements.
• Transport children to appointments, activities and family visits, as needed.
• Involve the therapeutic child in customary family activities and household responsibilities.
• Supervise the acquisition and care of clothing and personal property.
• Provide documentation as dictated by the child's level of care.
• Provide an appropriate level of supervision, as outlined in the ISP, protecting the child from dangerous situations and unsupervised activities.
• Serve as a role model of integrity, dependability and skills for coping with the problems of daily living.
• Plan and implement recreational activities as included in the ISP as well as other social enrichment.
• Arbitrate misunderstandings and teach appropriate methods of processing disappointment and frustration.
• Administer medication in a professional manner.
• Advocate with the school to ensure that the child's educational needs are being met.
• Meet the miscellaneous needs of the child (for example, lice).
• Comply with Covenant Kids' policy on giving 30-day notice.
• Transport and participate in the intake process if/when child is referred to a psychiatric hospital by the Covenant Kids Treatment Team.

2. Toward the Foster/Adoptive Child's Biological Family and Siblings

• Recognize your position as substitute, temporary parents.
• Cooperate with the visitation plan, as outlined by CPS.
• Be aware that the child will inherently love his/her biological family and there should never be an attempt to discourage this love.
• Do not criticize the biological family, especially in front of the children.
• Be sociable when in the presence of the biological family members.
• Be aware that children must have sibling visits when a sibling group is not placed in the same home.
• Be realistic – recognize that the biological family's problems may be a result of their life's circumstances and choices but that they are responsible for changing them.

3. Toward Covenant Kids, Inc.

• Maintain a spirit of cooperation with the Treatment Team.
• Adhere to all regulatory Standards and Covenant Kids, Inc. policies.
• Work within the appropriate CK staff structure.
• Cooperate with the supervision of Covenant Kids, Inc., as the agency bears ultimate responsibility for the child.
• Maintain daily/weekly notes addressing the child's status regarding the following areas: medications, behavior, emotions, social and recreational participation, education, and family contact.
• Provide timely feedback to Covenant Kids, Inc. regarding problems and needs of children in the home.
• Contribute to case planning conferences, such as ISP, PPT, and school conferences.
• Carry out the responsibilities listed in each Individual Service Plan for children in the home.
• Maintain training hours on schedule. Attend in-service training seminars sponsored by Covenant Kids, Inc. and be aware of other in-service opportunities.
• Recognize that confidentiality extends to the team…there should be no secrets from Covenant Kids.
• Be open to training by means of trainer in the home or by visiting an experienced foster home to observe effective parenting with therapeutic foster children.

4. Toward Their Own Family

• Do not treat the foster/adoptive child as a guest in your home.
• Recognize that your own children will have many sacrifices to make with this new, troubled individual joining the family. It is, therefore, important that they have the opportunity to participate in the decision to foster or adopt, and to make a personal commitment to be a foster/adoptive sister or brother.
• Spouses need time together away from all children, including the biological children. The nuclear family needs time away from the foster children. Respite preserves families.
• Be prepared for many incidents of behavior by the foster/adoptive child who tends to play one parent against the other. Take special time to reinforce cooperative parenting outside the hearing of the child so that a united front can be maintained.