In this blog, I want to help you understand important sources of support. Department of Child Services (DCS) is definitely one, as well as the agency you may have gotten licensed through. (in this blog I presume it to be Children\u2019s Bureau).<\/p>\n
Many of you have probably heard less than positive stories about DCS; I have heard those too. But, as a foster parent my experience with DCS has not been negative at all.<\/p>\n
DCS is a protective agency with the unimaginable responsibility of responding to concerns of safety, health, and stability of families across the state. Yes, it is true that DCS caseworkers are often overwhelmed and overloaded with assignments; their caseload exceeds what the system ever intended for one person to manage. And with a current and projected national shortage of social workers, it\u2019s a challenge likely to continue. The state sets a benchmark of how many cases a worker should reasonably manage. But there are often too many kids in care and case workers are spread thin. So, they are forced to focus and prioritize high risk placements. The result can be that a case manager seems unsupportive or not as helpful as one might like.<\/p>\n
Contrary to what is often publicized, I choose to believe that most of the DCS case workers want to do right by the children. And often times this does not leave much margin for extra time and attention for the foster families. It may seem as though DCS is not doing what they should, but that is not usually the case.<\/p>\n
As reflected in their mission statement, DCS has designed a system that works with partners in the community to provide or supplement quality services for families. One service offered by Children\u2019s Bureau, as a partner with DCS, is the placement and support of children in foster care. Foster parents working with Children\u2019s Bureau do indeed experience great support. Here are just a few of the ways that Children\u2019s Bureau supports their foster families:<\/p>\n
I have to say that CB truly goes above and beyond when it comes to support. I will admit, we were with another agency prior to jumping on board with Children\u2019s Bureau and we\u2019re so thankful that we made the switch. They are caring and compassionate, and highly attentive to the needs of the foster families. They listen to concerns, and help formulate a plan to help both the foster families and the foster child reach their greatest potential.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n
Kris<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this blog, I want to help you understand important sources of support. Department of Child Services (DCS) is definitely one, as well as the agency you may have gotten licensed through. (in this blog I presume it to be Children\u2019s Bureau). Many of you have probably heard less than positive stories about DCS; I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kriss-corner"],"yoast_head":"\n