What Does Therapeutic Foster Care Mean?
At Treatment Homes, therapeutic foster care takes foster parenting one step further. Our foster parents undergo 30 hours (10 weeks, one night per week) of significant pre-service training in order to become approved as foster parents. To become professional therapeutic foster parents they are required to complete additional training requirements which includes ongoing training (monthly) and professional support so long as they remain a part of the program.
This training covers the waterfront: Child development, non-violent crisis intervention, community first aid and Safety/CPR, skills-based parenting, and child-specific training where appropriate. Therapeutic foster parents are, in other words, para-professionals – an integral part of the treatment team built around each child. Therapeutic foster parents are the primary agents of positive change in each child’s life.
Who Are the Therapeutic Foster Parents?
Treatment Homes, Inc. (THINC) gives children with emotional or behavioral problems a chance to experience family life in a caring family environment. THINC professional foster parents show these kids that someone cares about them in spite of their difficulties.
THINC foster parents are people who want to make a difference in today’s world. They come from every walk of life: Attorneys, mechanics, teachers, postal workers, salespeople, homemakers, administrative assistants, insurance agents, and more. Although different in vocational backgrounds, all THINC parents share the belief that by making a difference in the life of one child, they can change the legacy of a family from one of despair to one of hope.