Foster children range in age from newborns to teenagers, and come from various cultural, ethnic and spiritual backgrounds.

 

Foster children have:

 

• experienced abuse or neglect in their lives, and may have

• behavioral, psychological or emotional issues.

 

Foster children are encouraged to:

• maintain relationships with their natural family while in foster care, where this contact does not threaten their safety or well-being, and

• maintain healthy connections and natural support networks in their community of origin. 

 

Foster parents must be prepared to take training and attend support groups, as well as work with a team of professionals, including KTC Child & Family Services.  Foster parents undergo a home study as well as complete various security checks before they can be approved as a home for foster children.  Foster parents are paid according to their training and the skills needed to foster a child. 

 

If you are interested in foster care or want to learn more about the program, please call KTC Child & Family Services and talk to the foster care worker.

 

Kinship Care 

A child placed through the Kinship Care program is the subject of either a temporary or permanent guardianship/custody order (TGO or PGO) or custody agreement with guardian (CAWG).  KTC CFSA is the primary custodian of the child.  When the child is placed in the home, the Kinship Caregiver must be provided with a Delegation of Power and Duties by a child’s caseworker, which delegates to them the responsibilities for the day to day care of the child.

 

Kinship care parents have less requirements to complete to be approved as a provider such as the Orientation for Caregivers Training, Criminal Record Checks, Intervention Record Checks, etc. 

 

If you are interested in becoming a Kinship Care provider, you can call the foster care worker at the KTC Child & Family Services office.

 

 

What is the difference between kinship care and foster care?

Kinship care providers and foster homes go through the same approval process in terms of completing a home assessment.  However, foster homes must be licensed and must commit to taking additional and ongoing training to maintain their license.  Kinship care providers are approved only for a specific child with whom they have a significant relationship.  Foster families are licensed to take in any children who come into care and usually do not have a previous relationship.  A caregiver can be either a kinship care provider or a foster care provider; you cannot be both.  If interested, kinship providers can apply to become foster homes and if accepted, complete the additional requirements.