Sometimes children need extra support. It's great when a child can be supported in their home, but there are also children in foster care who need these supports. Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) is a program that considers the needs of children and uses Medicaid services to provide increased care. TFC helps children who are likely to experience multiple placements or being in an institution, then places them with specially trained foster parents to receive these supports in a home setting. TFC offers daily care and guidance from trained foster parents to help prepare the child for reunification, a traditional foster home, or adoption. This is not a permanent family solution like adoption or guardianship.
A youth participant must meet ALL of the following criteria:
Qualifies for co-occurring mental health diagnosis, Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED)/Behavioral Health, or autism
Not best supported in the current foster family home design
Determined to be a Child in Need of Assistance (CINA)
The youth will receive focused therapeutic case management to help stabilize their medical and behavioral health needs to prepare them for reunification and/or permanency. This model focuses on the TFC resource family engaging the foster youth’s family and providing support for successful, long-term reunification. The service is expected to last no more than six months but may be extended to help the youth with permanent placement. In addition, pre-services beginning up to 30 days prior to placement and supports for the youth and family post-discharge are utilized as needed after the youth leaves the TFC home.
TFC resource parent(s) are part of a team that works to support each youth in the program. The team works to stabilize the youth’s mental/behavioral health issues, facilitate timely and successful transition into permanent placements (e.g., reunification, adoption, or independent living) and achieve individualized goals and outcomes described in their comprehensive care plan.
The team includes:
The youth
Parents/Guardians
Resource Parents
Peer Support for Resource Parents
Social Work Case Manager (SWCM)
Recruitment, Retention, Training, and Support (RRTS) Worker
Therapeutic Case Manager
Managed Care Organization (MCO) Care Coordinator
Family Centered Services Provider
The array of services for the youth and family includes, but isn’t limited to:
Therapeutic case management
Behavioral health intervention services
State plan habilitation services
In-home family therapy
Applied behavioral analysis (as appropriate)
Substance use disorder services (as appropriate)
Crisis services
Family peer support
Respite
Medical daycare
The HCBS Waiver that is most appropriate for the youth’s needs
Resource parents will receive:
Increased access to services
Increased daily rate for youth placed in the home
Prorated daily rate when no youth is in the home
Access to specialized training to understand treatment needs of the youth
Respite care
Peer support
Pre-services will begin up to 30 days prior to placement of the youth in the home. Post-discharge supports are utilized as needed after the youth leaves the therapeutic foster home.
Click here to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent.
Click here to learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent.
For more information about Therapeutic Foster Care, contact:
