Missions Of Premier Therapeutic Foster Care In Virginia
Abstract
Premier Therapeutic Foster Care provides therapy and fosters care homes for children who have been neglected or abused by their family members. The staff members at the agency use core competencies while working with the children so that they can impact the children in a positive way. The second core competency addresses how the agency will help the children with their social, emotional, and behavioral development. In addition to this, the third core competency states how the agency will support healthy relationships between the children and their families. There are strict policies and procedures that have to be completed by each of the staff members at the agency in order to ensure that the children are receiving quality services. Staff members are required to follow the proper documentation protocols and they have to keep their client's information confidential.
Ella Langford, LCSW decided to create Premier Therapeutic Foster Care in 2009 because wanted to help reduce the number of homeless children living in Virginia. The agency strives to help children overcome traumatic experiences by providing therapy for them, and by finding foster parents who are willing to give the children a safe and loving home to live in. In addition to this, Premier abides by strict policies and procedures in order to protect the safety of their foster care children.
Mission
Premier Therapeutic Foster Care’s mission statement is relevant because they are efficiently providing safe homes for children to live in. The organization focuses on providing specialized services to youth and their families. The agency is unique because Mrs. Langford is really committed to helping children in her agency work through their problems with her. She believes that every child in her agency is capable of being successful and turning their life around. She treats the children in her foster care agency like her family members. The mission of Premier Therapeutic Foster Care is to give youth the opportunity to live in a safe, and nurturing foster care home. The agency strives to assist youth by helping them develop into self-sufficient adults.
The agency addresses core competencies 2, 3, 4, and 5. The second core competency is meeting children’s developmental needs and addressing developmental delays. The third core competency is supporting relationships between children and families. The fourth core competency is connecting children to safe, nurturing, relationships intended to last a lifetime. The fifth core competency is working as a member of a professional team. The value statement states that Premier is committed to working with youth, their foster parents, and birth parents to teach children that family connections come in many different varieties and each can be an asset to their growth and development. The agency focuses their attention on using person-centered, strategic, and empowering theoretical perspectives to assist the child in overcoming past traumas and current challenges. It addresses core competency.
During the agency’s license renewal period at the end of the year, Premier sends out surveys to foster care parents, their foster care children, and to the Department of Social Services and other agencies. The surveys that are completed by the foster parents, foster care children, and other agencies will determine whether the clients are satisfied with the services. Mrs. Langford is responsible for reviewing, creating, and implementing the policies.
Information gathering
95% of foster care funding is provided by the local Department of Social Services. The other 5 % of funding is provided by Magellan Behavioral Health Case Management for children approved through Medicaid. The policies are created by state-level regulations. The CEO determines her own prices for supporting the children and supervising them annually. The CEO is required to publish the prices online. Staff members have to get a background check, and they must have a good driving record. The staff members have to keep everything confidential.
In the past, staff members have violated legal requirements at the agency. An employee removed documents and files from the agency. As a result of this, Premier is working on personalizing their products so it can decrease the chances of it happening again. The staff members will go to the CEO for guidance about the policies. The policies address boundaries for the staff members about completing their work in a timely manner and removing documents out of the office. The CEO uses a lawyer, an accountant, and a business advisor to give her guidance. The staff must meet the standards of the policies.
Premier ensures that the policy is clear and concise, so the staff members can understand it. The agency is for-profit. The board of directors is the lawyer, accountant, and business advisor. Richmond Behavioral Health Authority recommended that the CEO open up her own practice. The staff members at Richmond Behavioral Health Authority helped the CEO start her private practice. Premier is only located in Richmond, Va. The CEO is planning on opening Premier in other locations. Premier’s department focuses on therapeutic foster care. Premier follows the department policies of the licensed child care placement agencies.
Premier sends out surveys to the Department of Social Services, foster care parents, and foster care children. After the surveys are completed, Premier receives their evaluations. Premier has healthy relationships with the other foster care agencies in the community. The CEO works with an agency in Virginia called Adore. The CEO of Adore is a licensed lawyer who lives in Texas. Premier and Adore send each other clients that they cannot place at their practices. Both of the agencies check with each other to make sure they have the documents they need. The policies cover all of the core competencies. Diversity and cultural competency are addressed in the policies. For example, Premier conforms to the traditions and religious beliefs of the foster care children they serve by encouraging the children to attend church and practice their cultural traditions.
Stakeholders
The stakeholders are the local department of social services, the Virginia Department of licensing, the Virginia General Assembly, foster parents, foster care children, juvenile courts, and the guardian ad litems’. The state governments give funds to the local governments and then the local governments give the funds to the agency. They are located in Virginia and they offer social services. Other agencies seek Premier out for partnership opportunities.
Monitor, review and revise policies and procedures
The CEO and the staff are required to undertake a formal review of the policies. The Virginia Department of licensing has a procedure for reviewing the policies and procedures. First, talk to the caseworker about the issue. If a contractor has a question, they need to consult with the CEO. Parents talk to the CEO about any questions or concerns they may have regarding the policies and procedures about being a foster care parent. Sometimes the decision is made by the local department of social services and the Community Service Agency Coordinator in a foster care agency.
Foster care parents have to give a monthly report of the child’s behavior, the child’s intake of their medicine, and how the child responded to their medicine. Licensing makes planned inspections on all of its TFC agencies annually. These inspections must be completed by July 1st. At the same time, TFC agencies must complete contracts with all of its local agencies, and set fees for the upcoming year. A minimum of once annually, usually during the month of November, the licensing agent makes an unannounced visit to agencies to determine if they are in compliance with regulations.
Implementation of new procedures
The policy will be addressed when it is needed or whenever an issue arrives. Training is required because the agency has monthly mandatory meetings. Premier will not have a press release unless the agency needs it. Newly hired staff members have to complete orientation to learn about the agency’s procedures. After working for thirty days, the staff member has to pass everything on their employee orientation checklist. Staff members are required to know practices regarding the protection of confidential information, documentation protocols, the standards for licensed child-placing agencies, and Virginia statutes regarding reporting for suspected child abuse and neglect. Staff members are required to have a minimum of ten training hours annually. Premier pays for the cost.
Procedures that are questioned?
Contracts with parents, social services, agencies, CANS, VMAT, and assessments have to be completed. Under the job description policy: there needs to be one executive director, one clinical director, and one caseworker. At Premier the CEO can complete both because she is a licensed clinical social worker. The Licensed Child Placing Agencies policies and procedures manual is very clear about the tasks that each worker needs to complete. Each caseworker cannot have more than eight clients. The client and the foster parent have to be seen by the caseworker at least once a month. A monthly report is completed on each child that is 3-6 pages in length. The name of the child, age, goal for the child, independent living, summary of what happened during the past month, behavioral issues, medical history, recreation, nutrition, psychiatric, and therapy services are written in the monthly report.
Caseworkers at the agency are required to complete monthly reports and individual service plans for each of the children. The individual service plan must be completed within fifteen days after the client has arrived at the agency. A social history report must be completed on each of the clients within thirty days of their arrival. Comprehensive service plans must be completed within ninety days of a client arriving at the agency, and it needs to be updated annually. Quarterly reports need to be completed every ninety days for each client.
Reports have to be sent to the department of social services, guardians ad items, therapists, psychiatrists, foster parents, and the foster care children. Consultations are completed by staff members because they are constantly reviewing policies and making sure they are up to date. The regulations come from the Department of Social Services and Division of Child Placing Agencies. Policy and procedures are approved by the Virginia General Assembly and enforced by the Department of Social Services, and the Division of Child-Placing agencies.
Policies and Procedures impacting Social Work policy
Objectives of the policies and procedures are being achieved. One policy that needs to be amended is maintaining files on children who have been adopted or in foster care but have not returned to their families within a year. The state library is required to keep the files, but the library refuses to keep the files because they are a private agency. The agency utilizes Kalaidicare, an internet-based foster care program. In addition to maintaining current records, it also holds agency records in a vault in Austin, Texas permanently. The agency does not have any concerns regarding the accreditation requirements and changes to government policies. Premier has to be monitored twice a year by the Virginia Department of Licensing for Child Placing Agencies.
The agency uses the systems theory to help foster care children. The systems theory focuses on helping individuals and family members work towards resolving issues in their family system. Premier uses the systems theory by having family assessment meetings with the foster care children and their foster parents. At the meetings, the foster parent can discuss the child’s behavior and suggest ideas that will help the child. In addition to this, the foster care parent can learn effective ways to work with the child by using trauma-informed care with the child. Ensuring that the child’s needs are met, it will help the child work towards achieving their goals and it will help improve the dynamic of the family.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Premier effectively provides services that foster care parents and foster care children need. The agency is meeting its goal of reducing the number of homeless children in Virginia. Since the agency devotes a lot of time to working with disadvantaged youth, the agency will be able to impact their lives in a positive way and possibly prevent them from going into the criminal justice system.
Reference
- Premier Therapeutic Foster Care. (2019). Retrieved from http://www.premiertfc.com/
- Standards for Licensed Child Placing Agencies. Virginia Department of Social Services. Division of Licensing Programs. (2017).
