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Families First
Children and teens belong with their own families whenever possible. KVC works to safely reunify hundreds of families each year by providing parenting skills training, therapy and other support.
Caring People Needed
On any given day, KVC Kansas provides out-of-home care for thousands of children and teens. Relatives, non-related kin like teachers and neighbors, and foster parents are all critical to providing temporary care for these children and teens. See how you can make a difference as a foster parent.
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Children and Families Need You
Through KVC, you can strengthen families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and help create a bright future where every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community. Please join us today! Learn More
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Overview
Our free resources help you stay informed and educated about foster care, child welfare, adoption, mental health and childhood trauma as well as how KVC Kansas is working toward building healthier communities.
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About KVC Kansas
KVC Kansas is a private, nonprofit organization that serves over 12,000 children, teens and adults each year. Our team of caring professionals provides family strengthening and foster care prevention services, foster care case management, family reunification services, foster family recruitment and support, kinship care, adoption, aftercare, outpatient therapy and more.
We envision a world in which every person is safe and connected to a strong family and a healthy community.
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Therapeutic Foster Care
Do you have experience caring for youth with elevated needs?
Therapeutic Foster Care may be perfect for you!
KVC Kansas’ Therapeutic Foster Care program is a form of specialized foster care that provides individualized therapeutic interventions to children and teens with significant medical, developmental, emotional or behavioral needs who require a higher level of care. The program provides caregivers with additional support to allow youth in foster care with elevated needs to be successful in a community-based family setting.
Therapeutic foster parents provide highly structured, around-the-clock care to youth in foster care. This is a great fit for caregivers who have experience caring for youth with elevated needs. In our Therapeutic Foster Care program, you will:
- Participate in free, specialized training to meet the needs of the youth in your care
- Care for a maximum of two children or teens at once
- Play a role as part of the youth’s treatment team
- Partner with the youth’s biological parents when appropriate
- Access 24/7 support from your KVC family service coordinator (FSC), in-home support services, behavioral consultations, skilled supervision and emotional support
- Have the opportunity to provide a loving, stable home for a child or teen who needs it most
Want to learn more? Contact a foster parent recruiter.
Who is Eligible to Become a Therapeutic Foster Parent?
Therapeutic foster parents must comply with all of the requirements for a foster home in Kansas, including:
- Be at least 21 years of age
- Be able to meet basic income guidelines
- Be free from any type of assistance including, but not limited to, Section 8 Housing, food stamps, TANF or Medicaid
- Be able to provide adequate bedroom space that meets local fire codes and have a separate bed for each child
- Have reliable transportation
- Be willing to complete 30 hours of free initial training to become a licensed foster parent, plus additional specialized training to understand how to best care for youth with elevated needs
- Agree to use non-physical discipline for children
- Be willing for everyone in your household to undergo complete background checks (all licensees will be fingerprinted as a part of the federal Adam Walsh Act)
The Goal of Therapeutic Foster Care
The main goal of therapeutic foster care is to provide children and teens with elevated needs with a more intensive but less restrictive placement until they can be successful in a more traditional home setting.
Therapeutic foster parents serve an important role as the primary change agent in a child or teen’s life. You help the youth develop positive relationships and social, emotional and behavioral skills. The child or teen attends school in your community, enabling you to work with their teachers to oversee academic progress.
Therapeutic Foster Care Training Requirements
Caregivers must complete 30 hours of pre-service training curriculum to become licensed traditional foster parents before receiving the training to become a therapeutic foster parent. Additional specialized training is required to become a therapeutic foster parent.
Additional Support from KVC Kansas
Our KVC team provides an array of support to help you along the way, including:
- Free initial and ongoing training opportunities
- Foster parent therapists and other KVC support professionals
- Mental health treatment for the children and teens in your care either with a KVC therapist or help connecting with community resources
- Respite care resources
- A family service coordinator (FSC) dedicated to supporting you and the youth in your care