Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Foster Care Contacts
NRCPFC compiled this complete listing of contacts for foster care inquiries (by State) as part of the National Foster Care Month campaign. Each listing provides an agency/organization, phone number, and website so that people interested in becoming foster parents can learn more about the process in their State. (Updated January 2014)
Foster Care Maintenance Payments
NRCPFC gathered the latest information available to us on foster care maintenance payments. Download this document to find out how much each state provides for children in foster care. (Updated: June 2008)
Bill of Rights for Children in Foster Care
Several states and organizations have prepared bills of rights for children in foster care. This NRCPFC document lists them. (Updated: January 2005)
Foster Parent Handbooks
When foster parents take children into their homes, the children don’t come with instruction manuals, but a foster care handbook from the agency is the next best thing. The NCCWE has compiled this state-by-state listing of free online handbooks. Most handbooks include explanations of the foster care system and the legal system as it relates to foster care, agency rules, what to expect from the children, whom to contact in various situations, what to do in an emergency, and how to engage with birth families.
Training & Curricula
Responding to the Challenges of Foster Parenting
This presentation was given by NRCPFC Executive Director Gerald P. Mallon at the Hawaii Foster Parent Association Conference in October, 2005. It looks at the official - and unofficial - roles required of foster parents.
*Many of these resources were developed previously by the
National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).
Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools
Recent Demographic Trends in Foster Care
The ACYF Office of Data, Analysis, Research and Evaluation (ODARE) developed a data brief series that highlights findings from administrative and survey data focusing on children, youth and families served by ACYF and addresses topics of current interest to the field. This first brief documents trends over the last decade in the size and racial and ethnic composition of the foster care population, including select state and county patterns. (September 2013)
Adoption and Foster Care Guidelines
This webpage from AdoptUsKids provides step-by-step guidance to those interested in learning more about becoming an adoptive or foster parent. The website includes specific information about foster parenting and adoption for each State and territory. There is also basic adoption and foster parenting information on the site. (2010)
Working with African American Adoptive, Foster and Kinship Families
This guide was developed by AdoptUsKids to assist public and private child welfare staff in their work with prospective and current African American foster, adoptive and kinship families. It is important to remember that there is no “one size fits all” description of African American families. Rather, African American families, like all families, are diverse with various beliefs, values, and socioeconomic experiences. The guide includes the following sections: A historical perspective; strengths of African Americans; Tips to Remember; Additional Information (with resources).
Training & Curricula
Family Foster Care Reimbursement Rates in the U.S.: A report from a 2012 National Survey on Family Foster Care Provider Classifications and Rates
This report from Child Trends presents the findings from a national survey of states’ family foster care provider classifications and rates. The survey, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs, sought to produce a more comprehensive picture of both the commonalities and variations between states in family foster care payments. A brief profile is also provided summarizing each state’s family foster care rates and policies. (April 2013)
Education is the Lifeline for Youth in Foster Care
Success in school can be a positive counterweight to the abuse, neglect, separation, and impermanence experienced by the more than 400,000 U.S. children and youth in foster care at the end of FY 2009. Education has the potential to markedly improve their life chances and their ability to contribute to society as productive adults. However, research suggests that far too many of the children and youth in foster care are not succeeding in school and that a concerted effort will be required if significant progress is to be made in their educational outcomes. This brief report by the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education highlights national foster care data, shares research findings, and highlights promising policies and programs. (October 2011)
What Works in Child Welfare Reform: Reducing Reliance on Congregate Care in Tennessee
Over the last several years, Tennessee’s focused effort to increase the number of children in foster care living with families rather than inappropriately in institutions – such as shelters, group homes, and residential treatment centers – has not only had a positive impact on children and families across the state, but could serve as a model of child welfare case practice nationwide, according to this report by Children’s Rights. This publication reports that the state’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) has greatly improved its ability to reserve institutional care only for youth with severe mental and behavioral health needs, and now the vast majority of children in foster care live with relatives or foster families. The report also outlines specific ways other jurisdictions can emulate this success. (July 2011)
Children in Treatment Foster Care: Using Agency Data to Study Cross-System Child Outcomes Treatment foster care (TFC), also known as intensive, therapeutic, or specialized foster care, began in the 1970s as a way of caring for children who need to be removed from their biological homes and who have intensive mental, emotional, behavioral, or medical needs. Using statewide data from the Minn-LInK Project and administrative data from one TFC agency in Minnesota, a number of cross-system child outcomes were explored. This study was intended to begin to form a broader picture of the status of TFC children and to help fill gaps in the TFC literature by linking TFC program records across other systems. PATH Minnesota provided agency program data for calendar year 2006 (n=673) which was linked with statewide public education and child welfare records for 2006 and surrounding years. The intent was to examine the degree to which agency records could be successfully matched to these other systems and the extent to which children could be described in relation to a variety of TFC attributes. Some highlights of those findings are provided in this Minn-LInK Issue Brief from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. (2009)
Personal Finance Guides for Foster Youth
The Casey Foundation and the National Endowment for Financial Education jointly published this series of guidebooks expressly for use by foster children and teens to educate them about personal finance and empower them to make sound decisions about reaching their future goals. They were developed after speaking with foster parents, youth counselors, social workers, and other foster care professionals. The guidebooks include: I Know Where I'm Going (But Will My Cash Keep Up?): Part One and Two; Money Pals: Being Cool with Cash, Part One and Two; and, Caregiver's Handbook for Money Pals: "Being Cool with Cash" and "I Know Where I'm Going (But Will My Cash Keep Up?)”.
Foster Parent College
Foster Parent College offers a variety of fee-based interactive multimedia training courses for adoptive, kinship, and foster parents. These self-paced courses are available in the areas of behavior management, parenting strategies, and pre-service training. Foster Parent College has been rated by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC); endorsed by the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA), and the Canadian Foster Family Association; and approved by the National Adoption Center and national Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA).
Resources to Help Youth Build Relationships with Parents and Foster Parents
Below are some resources from Youth Communication to help youth build good relationships with parents and foster parents. Each of these web pages includes the following sections: Stories by Teens, Resources for Teens and Staff, Tips for Staff, and Helpful Links.
Birth Parents: http://www.youthsuccessnyc.org/birth_parents/index.html
Foster Parents: http://www.youthsuccessnyc.org/foster_parents/index.html
Foster Cub Has Questions About Foster Care (Coloring Book)
FosterClub has created a coloring book designed just for kids entering the foster care system. It includes coloring pages and activities like puzzles, mazes, and more. Foster Cub helps parents, case workers, courts, advocates, and other supportive adults talk to children about foster care. It provides an introduction to foster care decreases fears about entering care; empowers a child to ask questions and provides supportive adults with child-friendly answers; offers conversation-starters to help improve communication during a traumatic time.
Research & Reports
Family Foster Care Reimbursement Rates in the U.S.: A report from a 2012 National Survey on Family Foster Care Provider Classifications and Rates
This report from Child Trends presents the findings from a national survey of states’ family foster care provider classifications and rates. The survey, funded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Casey Family Programs, sought to produce a more comprehensive picture of both the commonalities and variations between states in family foster care payments. A brief profile is also provided summarizing each state’s family foster care rates and policies. (April 2013)
Education is the Lifeline for Youth in Foster Care
Success in school can be a positive counterweight to the abuse, neglect, separation, and impermanence experienced by the more than 400,000 U.S. children and youth in foster care at the end of FY 2009. Education has the potential to markedly improve their life chances and their ability to contribute to society as productive adults. However, research suggests that far too many of the children and youth in foster care are not succeeding in school and that a concerted effort will be required if significant progress is to be made in their educational outcomes. This brief report by the National Working Group on Foster Care and Education highlights national foster care data, shares research findings, and highlights promising policies and programs. (October 2011)
What Works in Child Welfare Reform: Reducing Reliance on Congregate Care in Tennessee
Over the last several years, Tennessee’s focused effort to increase the number of children in foster care living with families rather than inappropriately in institutions – such as shelters, group homes, and residential treatment centers – has not only had a positive impact on children and families across the state, but could serve as a model of child welfare case practice nationwide, according to this report by Children’s Rights. This publication reports that the state’s Department of Children’s Services (DCS) has greatly improved its ability to reserve institutional care only for youth with severe mental and behavioral health needs, and now the vast majority of children in foster care live with relatives or foster families. The report also outlines specific ways other jurisdictions can emulate this success. (July 2011)
Children in Treatment Foster Care: Using Agency Data to Study Cross-System Child Outcomes Treatment foster care (TFC), also known as intensive, therapeutic, or specialized foster care, began in the 1970s as a way of caring for children who need to be removed from their biological homes and who have intensive mental, emotional, behavioral, or medical needs. Using statewide data from the Minn-LInK Project and administrative data from one TFC agency in Minnesota, a number of cross-system child outcomes were explored. This study was intended to begin to form a broader picture of the status of TFC children and to help fill gaps in the TFC literature by linking TFC program records across other systems. PATH Minnesota provided agency program data for calendar year 2006 (n=673) which was linked with statewide public education and child welfare records for 2006 and surrounding years. The intent was to examine the degree to which agency records could be successfully matched to these other systems and the extent to which children could be described in relation to a variety of TFC attributes. Some highlights of those findings are provided in this Minn-LInK Issue Brief from the Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. (2009)
Personal Finance Guides for Foster Youth
The Casey Foundation and the National Endowment for Financial Education jointly published this series of guidebooks expressly for use by foster children and teens to educate them about personal finance and empower them to make sound decisions about reaching their future goals. They were developed after speaking with foster parents, youth counselors, social workers, and other foster care professionals. The guidebooks include: I Know Where I'm Going (But Will My Cash Keep Up?): Part One and Two; Money Pals: Being Cool with Cash, Part One and Two; and, Caregiver's Handbook for Money Pals: "Being Cool with Cash" and "I Know Where I'm Going (But Will My Cash Keep Up?)”.
Foster Parent College
Foster Parent College offers a variety of fee-based interactive multimedia training courses for adoptive, kinship, and foster parents. These self-paced courses are available in the areas of behavior management, parenting strategies, and pre-service training. Foster Parent College has been rated by the California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC); endorsed by the National Foster Parent Association (NFPA), the Foster Family-based Treatment Association (FFTA), and the Canadian Foster Family Association; and approved by the National Adoption Center and national Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA).
Resources to Help Youth Build Relationships with Parents and Foster Parents
Below are some resources from Youth Communication to help youth build good relationships with parents and foster parents. Each of these web pages includes the following sections: Stories by Teens, Resources for Teens and Staff, Tips for Staff, and Helpful Links.
Birth Parents: http://www.youthsuccessnyc.org/birth_parents/index.html
Foster Parents: http://www.youthsuccessnyc.org/foster_parents/index.html
Foster Cub Has Questions About Foster Care (Coloring Book)
FosterClub has created a coloring book designed just for kids entering the foster care system. It includes coloring pages and activities like puzzles, mazes, and more. Foster Cub helps parents, case workers, courts, advocates, and other supportive adults talk to children about foster care. It provides an introduction to foster care decreases fears about entering care; empowers a child to ask questions and provides supportive adults with child-friendly answers; offers conversation-starters to help improve communication during a traumatic time.
Teleconferences, Webinars, Webcasts & Videos
Extending Foster Care to Age 21: Implications for Providers, Impact on Budgets
One important provision of the 2008 Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act extended federal support for keeping foster youth in care until age 21. The goal is to improve educational and health-related outcomes. This extension of care has significant implications for service providers as they plan adaptations to their programs for a group of older youth who need services that will help prepare them for independence. It has implications as well for the budgets of state agencies and program providers. This webinar, from Urban Institute and Chapin Hall, offered a discussion on extending foster care to age 21 and its implications for providers and impact on budgets. (2011)
State Examples
California:Foster Youth Help
This site is a product of the California Foster Care Ombudsman Office, whose mandates include ensuring that the voice of foster children and youth is heard, and acting on their behalf. The main topics address the rights, responsibilities, entitlements, and resources available to youth in care and those on the verge of aging out.
Iowa: Foster & Adoptive Parents Association
The Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parents Association (IFAPA) empowers, supports and advocates for foster, adoptive and kinship families in Iowa. IFAPA provides training, peer support and resources to promote safety, permanency and well-being for Iowa’s children.
