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Love
is the best medicine, and there is more than enough
to go around once you open your heart.
-Julie Marie
Our
licensed Therapeutic Foster Care Program arranges
temporary care for children who need a home. Children
live with our foster families in their private households
until they can return to their own homes, or until
other permanent plans are secured.
Fully Licensed
We are licensed by the Texas Department of Family
and Protective Services to provide 24-hour care in
private foster homes.
Our Staff
We have a staff of dedicated and licensed professional
social workers. Our Foster Care Specialist and Foster
Home Development Staff follow up and work closely
with the foster parents to make sure that the children's
needs are being met. We provide on-going quality training
for the foster parents, conduct a support group that
meets regularly and publish a foster family newsletter.
Where Our Children Come From
Most of the children are in the custody of the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services. We provide
services in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. We also
work with private adoption agencies to find temporary
foster homes until adoptive parents are found. In
some cases, parents voluntarily place their child
with us for a short period of time.
Training
We recruit and train potential foster parents. The
first step is our 6-week Foster/Adopt PRIDE program,
a structured curriculum that allows us to screen,
train and verify families who want to participate
in foster parenting. The program is a structured curriculum
that allows us to screen, train and verify families
who want to participate in foster parenting. We offer
on-going training in both English and Spanish at no
cost to ensure our families maintain their required
training. Trainings include: psychotropic medication,
crisis prevention, intervention (CPI), universal precautions,
policies, and procedures, CPR, and First Aid. We offer
bilingual trainings.
Support
Services
Along with our case management team, The Children's
Shelter support services for foster care include:
24 hour availability, respite care training and reimbursement,
free childcare during select trainings and meetings,
state reimbursements, access to Food Bank, support
groups, and continuing training. We also provide in-home
therapy for children who need continuous help.
Outcomes
Each foster child has unique needs. A Child's Plan
of Care is developed for each child and our goal is
that 80% of the children we serve make progress on
the goals set for them. To achieve our goals, we provide
in-home therapy sessions. The children served in our
foster care program have taken giant leaps toward
meeting the individualized goals set for them.
Foster
Care is meant to be temporary out of home placement
until children can move on to a permanent home. Each
child has unique needs and requires individualized
permanency plans. Permanency is achieved when children
in foster care return to their primary caregivers,
move in with relatives, or are placed with adoptive
families.
Foster Care Recruitment
Foster care has both a full-time and part-time recruiter
who concentrate all efforts on bringing in families
to foster who have a heart and passion for children.
We work hard to ensure that our children are being
placed in the best environment conducive to their
needs.
Churches Karing
for Kids
 "Churches
Karing 4 Kids" is a recruiting initiative of
The Children's Shelter designed to work with inter-faith
congregations to promote foster care and adoption
needs in our community.
"Churches
Karing 4 Kids" was developed to find nurturing,
loving, and supportive foster and/or adoptive homes
for abused and neglected children. The goal is to
recruit families and single parents willing to offer
their home, love, time and energy to children that
range in age from birth to 17 years old. Opening your
heart and home to children in our foster care and
adoption program enables families to live their faith
everyday. The love and guidance from families of faith
will benefit the child for the rest of their lives.
Through
"Churches Karing 4 Kids," representatives
of The Children's Shelter are available to inform
churches, faith-based ministries and civic groups
about both our foster care and adoption services,
as well as how they can help.
How You
Can Help "Churches Karing 4 Kids"
Becoming a supporting congregation of "Churches
Karing 4 Kids" begins with one simple principle
- help increase the visibility of the need for foster
and adoptive parents. Here's how you can help:
Church
advertisement - Include Foster Care/
Adoption announcement in your church program, newsletter,
bulletin boards and/or website. Please click on
the links below to access printable samples:
Church
Program Insert Sample (PDF file)*
Bulletin Board
Flyer Sample (PDF file)*
Foster
Care/Adopt Announcement Sample (PDF file)*
Presentations
to congregation - Invite a representative
from The Children's Shelter to make a brief presentation
about foster care and adoption to congregation and/or
ministry groups
Information
table - Set up an information booth before
or following church service with foster care/adoption
literature
Collaborate
on planned church events - Allow a foster
care/adoption booth to be displayed at your next
Mission Fair or Family Day
Announce
Inquiry Meetings - Actively announce
upcoming foster care/adoption Inquiry Meetings hosted
twice a month at The Children's Shelter
Offer
prayers and encourage others to learn more about
foster care and adoption - Through your
Ministry, you can enable us to continue helping
children and families succeed.
To
arrange for a "Churches Karing 4 Kids" Informational
Meeting and Tour or to get more information about
Foster Care/Adoption, please contact our Home Development
Recruiter at (210) 212-2547 or recruiter@chshel.org
Click
here
for a Foster Care Program Fact Sheet.
If
you would like more information or literature on The
Children's Shelter, please
Contact
Us
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