MBCH Children and Family Ministriesis committed to finding families for children who need care outside
their own homes. Children now entering out-of-home care need special
help and understanding because they may have experienced the pain of
physical abuse, sexual abuse and/or neglect.
These children often feel angry or upset because of the difficult
experiences they have had. They need time to learn that adults can be
trusted, they are not going to be hurt anymore and there are
acceptable ways to express their feelings.
MBCH Children and Family Ministriesneeds homes for all types of children, but the majority of children
needing homes are school age. Many of the children are in
sibling groups that need to stay together. Some have special medical,
emotional or developmental needs.
Foster parents provide a safe home and a place for the children to
heal until they are either reunited with their birth family or an
adoptive home is found. Foster parents have the option to adopt the
foster children if the children are unable to return to their birth
families.
When a child cannot return home or to a relative, adoptive parents
are needed for the child to have a legally permanent home. Adoptive
parents assume all responsibility for the child as if he/she was born
to them. Adoptive parents are chosen for a child based on their
ability to meet that child’s needs.
Special needs children have one or more of the following
characteristics:
· Serious emotional
disturbance
· Medically fragile
· Member of a sibling group
· Adolescent
·
Minority heritage
Options for Providing Care to Special Needs Children
Family Foster Care
Under this program, MBCH CFM provides case management
services with the goal of finding permanency for children in State
custody. Family Foster Care services are provided in St. Louis,
Springfield, Branson, St. Joseph, Joplin and Lee’s Summit.
Therapeutic Family
Foster Care (TFFC)
The Therapeutic Family Foster Care program is designed to
serve children and youth who may have special behavioral, emotional,
mental or physical health needs in a community-based setting. TFFC is
a specialized form of foster care offering children a step-down from
residential care – and many times an alternative to residential care.
TFFC parents are independent contractors with MBCH CFM and receive
special training and support to provide care for these children.
Respite Care
The Respite
Care program provides temporary short-term care for children. This
program is designed to be a supportive service to the other foster
care programs provided by MBCH CFM.
Foster/Adoptive Services
MBCH CFM
helps facilitate State custody foster and adoptive placements.
Prospective foster parents and adoptive parents receive specialized
training through MBCH CFM to equip them in parenting special needs
children who are in State custody. These foster parents and adoptive
parents receive support from MBCH CFM staff once children are placed
in their home.
MBCH CFM also
helps facilitate private adoptive placements, both agency and
independent. In an agency adoption, the birth mother places the child
through MBCH CFM and chooses the adoptive family from MBCH CFM-approved
family profiles. In an independent adoption, the birth mother has
identified the adoptive family she wants for her child. MBCH CFM
completes the adoptive home study and required post-placement support.
MBCH CFM can also complete international adoption home studies as well
as the post-placement support.
Adoption
Adoptive parents choose to become legal, permanent parents of a
special needs child. MBCH Children and Family Ministries would provide
the training, home study, post-placement supervision and would assist
in overcoming any economic barriers to adopting the child.
In order to qualify as a foster or adoptive parent through MBCH
Children and Family Ministries for special needs
children you must:
·
Be 21-years-old or older ·
Be a professing Christian and active in an evangelical Christian
church ·
If married, must have a stable marriage and have been married for at
least 2 years ·
Be in good physical and emotional health and able to handle the
everyday responsibilities of child rearing ·
Successfully complete pre-service training
All
foster and adoptive parents of special needs children in Missouri are
required to complete pre-service training. Adoptive families must
complete an additional twelve hours of adoption pre-service training
and Therapeutic Family Foster parents must complete an additional 32
hours of behavioral training.
The
training covers such topics as:
·
How children come into care ·
The role of various agencies involved in social services ·
Developmental needs of children ·
Loss and grief issues of children in care ·
Working with birth families ·
Discipline
While a family is attending training classes, a social worker will be
assigned to complete a home assessment. At MBCH Children and Family
Ministries, the home assessments are appropriate for both foster care
and adoption.
Being a foster or adoptive parent is one of the most rewarding
ministries a family can tackle. When you open your heart and home to a
child, you open a world of possibilities and hope. Foster/adoptive
parents are given the unique opportunity to change a child’s life for
eternity. The love your family gives to a child is love that will grow
for the rest of the child’s life. It is amazing to see what can happen to a child who experiences
the kind of warm and nurturing environment only a family can give.
The following video demonstrates
the importance of foster/adoptive parents
and the most basic need of every child – a loving home.
MBCH
Children and Family Ministries has regional offices in Jefferson City,
Joplin, Lee’s Summit and Springfield. These offices focus on foster
and adoptive parent recruiting, training and placement and case
management for children needing homes around the state.
To
discuss the possibility of becoming a foster or adoptive parent, call
the MBCH Foster/Adoptive Department at 1-800-264-6224. You can e-mail
us at
foster.adoptive@MBCH.org.
