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Bringing Children and Families Together
The Circular
March 2021, Issue 19
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"It turns out life isn't a puzzle that can be solved one time and it's done. You wake up every day, and you solve it again." - Chidi Anagonye |
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What to Expect During a Home Visit |
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As foster parents, your home can see a lot of visitors over time. Your Case Manager stops by often to check in and have a look at things. DFPS caseworkers drop in for inspections. And sometimes they don't even call before showing up! However, these visits are very important for you as a foster parent and for the foster kids in your home. They help you to stay on top of standards, can identify areas where you might need support, and they make sure that the children are safe and all of their needs are being met.
During a home visit, the inspector will tour your home and check that everything is up to state minimum standards. They may ask for pet vaccinations, fire and emergency plans, medication information, if you have weapons in the home, any recent safety inspection results, sleeping arrangements, and any number of other things! They do this to be certain that your home is safe, and these inspections are the reason that foster homes are some of the safest homes you can find!
Here are some of the more common errors that inspectors come across in a foster home:
- Improper medication documentation
- Improper weapon storage
- Missing vaccination records
- Undocumented pets
- Incomplete background checks
- Expired fire extinguishers
There are so many standards to keep up with, sometimes it can feel impossible to meet every single one. That is why your Case Manager reviews your home with you and why they are always available if you have questions or need support. Here are some other things you can do to make sure you are always prepared for inspection:
- Complete your documentation immediately. Putting it off until later can lead to errors or you might even forget to do it!
- Use calendar reminders to help track when safety inspections need to be renewed.
- Ask children to put up toys immediately. It's an important skill for them to learn, and an inspector will appreciate your tidy home!
- Never leave medications out even for a moment. We all know it only takes a second for a child to get into something they shouldn't. If an inspector sees an unattended medication, they will cite you for it!
- Keep important documents handy. Vaccination records, inspection reports, case notes, service plans, identification, and other important documents are best stored together where you can keep track of them.
- Feel free to ask! If you have a question, need copies of something, need new blank forms, lost an inspection date, or any kind of support, we are here for you! Just give us a call!
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With a child in your home, whether they are a foster or biological child, odds are you will be dispensing some medication at one time or another. However, in the case of foster children, it is very important that the administration of medications be documented very carefully including routine, daily medications and even one-time or occasional over-the-counter drugs.
Medications, prescription and otherwise, must be stored in their original, labeled containers to prevent mix-ups and keep administration instructions handy. Ask for extra containers from your pharmacist if your foster child will be taking medications at school or away from your home!
Medications should only be administered by someone who has taken an approved medication administration class and who is a qualified caregiver, respite provider, or otherwise approved by Circles of Care. Medications may also be administered by a professional such as a school nurse. The person who actually gives a foster child their medication must initial the medication log alongside the actual time it was administered. The documented time should be exact and reflect the time the medication was administered, not the time it was prescribed for, and "AM" or "PM" must be written out rather than abbreviated to ensure absolute clarity. There is a two hour window to administer medications, so be sure to follow this rule!
Finally, every single person who administered medication throughout any given month must sign the medication administration log. If they initialed the form, they need to sign the form! If the foster parents take turns administering medications, the child spent two days in respite care, there was one night with a babysitter, and the child received a medication once while at school, the form should have five signatures for those five people.
Visit our website or contact your local office for additional copies of the medication administration log, and feel free to contact your Case Manager at any time if you have questions!
Tip: Complete your medication documentation at the time you administer the medicines! Putting it off until later can lead to inaccuracies and errors.
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Finding an effective method of discipline that works for your family can involve a lot of trial and error. There have been studies, research groups, experiments, books, and classes for years trying to pin down the best way to correct problem behaviors in a child. As we know, however, no two children are the same and no method of discipline will work for every child. As parents and providers, we must assess a child's chronological age, development, personal history, and individual responsibility when determining the best way to correct undesirable behavior.
For foster children, many discipline methods are expressly prohibited. Engaging in any of these practices even once can result in immediate revocation of your license to foster children. Some of these prohibited methods are:
- Corporal punishment. This includes spanking alongside any other form of physical punishment. This prohibition extends to even the threat of corporal punishment.
- Pointless work. Additional chores may be an effective method of discipline, but a foster child cannot be made to complete pointless work such as moving rocks from one pile to another or digging a hole in the ground.
- Confinement. A foster child cannot be locked in a closet or bound up in any way. A foster child may be sent to their room, but the child cannot be locked in, and the caregiver must frequently check in on them.
- Food denial (going to bed without supper).
- Medication. While some foster children benefit from prescription medications, medicine cannot be used as a form of discipline or control. This rule also includes over-the-counter medications.
As noted above, research has been conducted for years looking for the most effective and safest methods of discipline and behavior management. Some of these methods include:
- Time out. A designated area for a child to stay for a fixed length of time and generally within eyesight of the caregiver. The length of time is commensurate with the child's age and development. The child cannot be locked in or bound such as to a chair.
- Removal of privileges. An appropriate deterrent or consequence of problem behavior may be temporary loss of a gaming system, cell phone, or socializing with friends.
- Reparations. A caregiver may require that a child use their money to help replace an object that they damaged or destroyed or help to clean something that they defaced.
Of all the methods of behavior management available, multiple studies have shown that the best is the reinforcement of positive behaviors. When a child behaves correctly and in a desirable manner, they should be rewarded with praise or privileges commensurate with their age and development. Positive reinforcement helps children to develop healthy, beneficial behaviors and discourages problem behaviors thus reducing the need for discipline techniques in the long term. No matter the methods employed in your home, positive reinforcement should be your first line of defense.
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Renee has been the office manager for our Central Texas office for just over nine years. She is an invaluable employee who supports the Case Management team and helps to coordinate the day-to-day operations of the Central Texas foster care program. Renee also helps to arrange and staff promotional events, engaging with her community to help raise foster care awareness and encourage growth within the program. She has developed strong relationships with the foster families she serves often before they become officially licensed.
We appreciate Renee's dedication to all of the families, the children they serve, the team she is a part of, and our agency as a whole. She is always eager to lend a hand to her colleagues, and she goes beyond the call to support the foster parents in her program. She is an asset we hope to have as part of our organization for many years to come!
Renee lives in Salado, Texas with her husband, her two sons, and her brother.
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Mr. and Mrs. Curtis, from our Central Texas foster care program, adopted two boys back in 2017, but their family still had love to give! After a short break to focus on their new boys, they were re-licensed to provide foster care. The Curtis' first placements were the siblings Brielle and Joshua. During regular family visits, they were also able to meet Joshua and Brielle's brother Bentley who had been placed in another foster home. During this placement, the Curtis family grew very fond of Brielle and Joshua and of Bentley during their visits. Then, in December of 2019, the siblings were returned to their biological family until later in 2020 when DFPS announced that all three siblings had come back into care, and they were looking for an adoption motivated home. After a family meeting, the Curtis family decided that they had bonded with the kids, loved them, and wanted to keep them together in a forever home. In April of 2020, all three siblings were placed in the Curtis home with the goal of adoption. That goal was finally realized in January of this year, and the Curtis family has three new, permanent members! Congratulations to the whole family! We are so happy that you found one another! |
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In our Rio Grande Valley foster care program, the Swaringen family also have an adoption to celebrate! They have been fostering with us since 2013 and have cared for several children during that time. They recently accepted placement of Jeremiah who became available for adoption. From the moment he was placed, the Swaringen family considered Jeremiah one of their own, and they finalized his adoption in February.
The Swaringen family is truly exceptional and dedicated to the care of foster children. They provide respite care for several other families, and they continue to foster even as their permanent family grows. Congratulations to all on another addition to your home!
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Events
Most major events continue to be cancelled or postponed. For questions or information, please contact your local Circles of Care office or visit our website.
General Orientation will continue to be held online via webinar throughout the next quarter. Register for the following dates:
Visit the links below for our full calendar of events as well as registration links and sign up information for training.
One-on-one orientation and training can still be scheduled if you require something specialized or cannot attend a scheduled event. Contact your local office to schedule according to your needs.
Our offices will be closed on Friday April 2 in observance of Good Friday and on Monday May 31 for Memorial Day.
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Trainings Available Online
(remember to contact your CM or FHD for password access to online training)
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Infant Safety & Communicable Disease
April 27
Abuse & Neglect/Separation & Loss
April 12
May 10
June 7
Child Discipline
April 7
May 19
June 16
Standards and Policy
April 15
May 26
Children, Families, & Permanency
April 8
May 18
June 3
Child Development
April 22
May 20
June 24
Medication Administration
April 1
May 5
June 1
Working as a Professional Team
May 12
June 14
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Family and Youth Success Program |
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FAYS services are designed for youth and families with youth aged 17 or under (up to 18 if they are still in school) in the home who are undergoing family problems such as truancy and school problems, a recent loss or death, divorce, behavioral issues, drug and alcohol abuse, and more. Families and youth are seen by trained, certified Specialists who give them the tools to overcome their obstacles and help to prevent future problems. FAYS services are offered to the community free of charge in Nueces, Jim Wells, and Kleberg counties.
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