The Intensive Foster Care (IFC) Program at The Home is committed to providing safe and nurturing foster homes for children in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF). We offer individuals and families of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, socio-economic backgrounds and religions the opportunity to get involved as foster parents.
As an intensive foster care program, we serve children who require a higher level of care. Therefore, we provide a higher level of clinical support to the families affiliated with our IFC program. We believe no child should grow up in foster care, so our goal is to help children achieve permanency through reunification, adoption, guardianship or independent living.
Our IFC team licenses new foster homes, provides clinical case management services, and offers ongoing training and support to our foster parent network, including:
Information sessions are a quick and easy way to learn more about our program and get your questions answered. Check this page for upcoming information sessions throughout the year. All sessions are hosted virtually via Zoom. To attend, please RSVP to lcollins@thehome.org and you will be provided a Zoom link.
UPCOMING SESSIONS:
April 3, 2023 at 7pm
April 27, 2023 at 7pm
Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) training is a free, 30-hour course required by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Find out more here.
A dedicated Family Resource Worker meets at least once a month with the foster family in their home to discuss challenges, answer questions, provide support, complete annual license reviews and help navigate the experience of fostering.
An Operations Manager is dedicated to supporting you in finding the right child for your home, helping you assess whether a referral is a good match and partnering with you throughout the placement process.
All youth in our foster care program are assigned a Clinical Case Manager (CCM) to help coordinate their education, health, visitation and other services. CCMs meet weekly with the youth and work in close partnership with the foster families to ensure successful outcomes.
We offer regular training programs to help our foster parents stay up to date and meet their annual 21-hour training requirement. We also encourage parents to seek out other educational and training opportunities and to share their knowledge with our program.
The Home’s IFC program is comprised of three foster home models: IFC One, Transition to Adulthood (TTA), and Shelter. Part of becoming a foster parent is deciding which foster home model is best for you.
In the IFC One model, a child may be in your foster home for a short time or may remain for over a year depending on their needs.
Children in IFC One homes range in age from birth to 22 and are incorporated into all aspects of household and family life. As a foster parent, you will provide a safe and loving home that helps promote all facets of the child’s social and emotional development. You will work in partnership with The Home, DCF, the child’s family of origin, and other providers to ensure the child’s needs are met, including achieving permanency.
The IFC One model also includes placements of unaccompanied refugee/migrant minors through the Ascentria Care Alliance. In addition to providing these youths with a safe home, your role is to help them adapt to life in the United States, develop English language abilities, and gain the necessary skills to live independently in their new country.
The TTA foster home model was developed for the alarming number of youth from 16 to 22 who age out of foster care without the necessary skills to successfully transition into adulthood. Placement can vary from a few months to over a year depending on the age and needs of the youth.
As a TTA foster parent, you will provide a supportive environment for the teen or young adult to gain important life skills, such as searching for an apartment, better managing their emotions or developing a vision for the future – all to prepare them for their next step in life. Our hope is that TTA foster parents will forge a lifelong connection that continues after the youngster transitions from their home.
The Shelter model serves children from birth to 22 who have just been removed from their current home, are in crisis or are new to DCF. Placements in shelter homes are intended to be short term (45 days maximum) while the child is assessed to determine a long-term plan, which also draws on the insights and observations of the foster parents.
Shelter foster parents play an important role by providing emergency care to children immediately following a traumatic transition. A loving and stable home environment is crucial to help the child regain a sense of safety. Because of the emergency nature of this model, referral and placement of a child usually happens in the same day. In addition, this model requires at least one stay-at-home parent to be available at all times.
Is Our Intensive Foster Care Program Right for You?
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