Frequently
Asked Questions
Frequently Asked
Questions about Foster Home Levels and Payments
Note: All
rates in this document are for April 2009 to March 2010
What are the
levels of Foster Homes?
There are five kinds of Family Care Homes:
restricted, regular, and three levels of specialized homes. Each has its own
type of Family Care Home agreement with the ministry.
• Restricted
homes care for children known or related to the Foster parents. The
agreement is restricted to a specific child and ends when the child leaves the
home or is no longer in care.
• Regular
homes represent the greatest number of foster homes. Children placed in
these homes are not usually known by the foster parents.
• Specialized homes
(levels 1, 2 and 3) care for children with moderately to extremely challenging
behavioural/emotional issues or significant developmental delay. Each level has
specific approval, experience and training requirements, and separate service
expectations.
Payment rates
· Regular/Restricted Care Payment-also
known as maintenance (per child):
Age 11 &
under $803.82/month
Age 12 – 19 $909.95/month
- Level 1 homes provide care for up to six
children who have average to moderately challenging behaviour. They may
occasionally behave in a manner which represents an average to moderate
degree of risk to self, others and/or property. Level 1 foster parents may
work outside the home but must have an emergency plan in place should a
child return to the caregiver’s home unexpectedly. The rates below include
the maintenance portion.
Age 11 &
under $1,251.84/month per
child
Age 12 – 19 $1,367.97/month per
child
- Level 2
homes are designed for up
to three children who have moderate to severely challenging behaviour
and/or a moderate to severe degree of risk to self, others or property.
They may have developmental delays and/or difficulty accepting care. The primary foster parent may work
outside the home, but must have an emergency plan in place should a child
return to the caregiver’s home unexpectedly. This may be an alternate
caregiver or program where the child’s need can be satisfactorily met.
Level
2 homes
|
One Child
|
Two Children
|
Three Children
|
|
Age 11 and Under
|
$1,944.22/mon
|
$3,576.32/mon
|
$5,104.38/mon
|
|
Age 12 - 19
|
$2,050.35/mon
|
$3,788.58/mon
|
$5,422.77/mon
|
● Level 3 homes require very specialized
child-care skills and are allowed a maximum of two foster children. In some
cases the children require additional support and supervision. They may present extremely challenging
behaviors and regularly behave in a manner which represents an extreme degree
of risk to self, others and/ or property (Schedule A-Level3 contract) The
primary foster parent can work outside the home so long as the caregiver is
available on a full-time basis, up to 24 hours per day, when required. Rates
below include the maintenance amount.
Level
3 homes
|
One Child
|
Two Children
|
|
Age 11 and Under
|
$2,620.48/mon
|
$4,720.76/mon
|
|
Age 12 - 19
|
$2,726.61/mon
|
$4,933.02/mon
|
When you are a
leveled home, you will receive a “fee for service” payment as well as the
child’s maintenance payment. Regular and restricted homes only receive the
maintenance portion. For Level 1 foster parents are paid a fee for service only
for the days a bed is occupied. Level 2 and 3 foster parents receive a fee for
service even if the bed is temporarily empty.
*It should be noted that while level homes are
expected to take more challenging children, all children may exhibit
challenging behaviors at times. Children with severe behaviors require foster
parents with higher levels of skill. Remember that homes are leveled, not
children.
How are levels
assessed?
1. The Specialized Family Care Home Assessment is
based on a regular family care home parent’s actual abilities, rather than
potential abilities. Your Resource Worker (MCFD) or Analyst (CLBC) will
complete the assessment tool (document CF2442) with you. The assessment is made
up of four categories:
- Education
and training including the 53 hour Foster Care Education program
- Child-related
Experience
- Knowledge
- Demonstrated
abilities-number of children you have fostered or amount of time you have
been working in the system
The categories are weighted differently with
demonstrated abilities rated highest. Your score will then be totaled and,
depending on your score, you will be assessed a level.
2. There are several additional matters that need
to be considered.
- There
must be “willingness” by the caregiver to provide the services expected at
that level. It should be noted that many homes that are assessed at one
level, choose to provide service at a lower level.
- There
must be a need in the foster care network for a home at that level
- There
must be funding available for a home at that level.
3. Social Workers for the children placed in your
home are usually contacted to provide feedback on your skills and abilities.
Other workers on the Resources team will be consulted. This ‘team consultation’
for assessment leads to more consistency.
*Each office has a slightly different procedure.
Talk to your Resources social worker (MCFD) or Quality Services Analyst (CLBC)
about how to apply for consideration to have your level changed.
What am I
expected to pay for from my Fee for Service?
All foster homes need to take occasional relief
(time away from fostering). Level 2 and 3 homes have a built in relief payment
for three days each month. You may take these three days each month or save
them up for a longer relief period. If you are a regular or level 1 home, talk
to your Resource worker about plans for relief. Your worker will need to know
who will be providing the relief care and what the costs will be. You will need
pre-approval if the cost is higher than the per diem rate.
All foster parents are expected to take workshops
and courses to improve their skills and gain new knowledge. Some of these
courses have registration fees attached to them. Leveled homes are expected to
pay for training out of the fee for service.
What other
expectations are there for me as a Foster Parent?
All foster homes are expected to consistently
provide a physically and emotionally safe, nurturing, family environment for
the child. They are also expected to:
- Encourage
and support the child’s relationship with his/her family- if it is
consistent with the child’s plan of care.
- Work
and participate with the child’s plan of care team
- Encourage
the child to maintain or become aware of his or her cultural and ethnic
heritage.
- Attend
workshops, training sessions to maintain, update or expand knowledge in
order to meet the needs of the child.
- Provide
clear, reasonable and safe behavioral expectations for the child, unique
to the child’s needs.
- Meet
or exceed the standards found in the Standards for Foster Homes document.
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