CHILDREN’S
SANCTUARY, INC.
CHILD
& FAMILY HANDBOOK
WELCOME
TO YOUR NEW HOME!
During your admission meeting you will
be given very specific information regarding services available, your new
family, and your rights.
are satisfied with the supports you
receive.
Your satisfaction is our goal and
we look
forward to sharing your
accomplishments with you.
OUR
VISION
It is the belief of the Children’s
Sanctuary that all children have the right to realize their fullest potential
within a supportive environment.
Our vision is a program that provides
our clients and the communities we serve a holistic treatment program that
includes the biological family, the foster parents, teachers, caseworkers and
other significant persons, and focuses on the emotional, social, medical and
academic needs of the special needs child. Our
goal is stability and permanence for the child, either through reuniting the
child with the biological family, adoption, or, in some cases, emancipation.
OUR
VALUES
·
Every child
deserves a safe, permanent home with a nurturing, caring family.
·
Every child
should be treated with dignity and understanding.
·
Every child is an
individual with human rights and legal rights.
·
Every child has a
right to participate in the development of his/her treatment plan.
·
Reunification
with the biological family should be the primary goal for a child.
·
If
reunification is not possible, then an adoptive home will be found.
OUR
The
mission of Children’s Sanctuary is to provide care, treatment and case
management services for children with special needs in a safe, nurturing foster
home with trained therapeutic foster parents.
| Your foster parent name is: | |
| Your foster parent name is: | |
| Your new address is: | |
| Your new telephone number is: | |
| Your CSI social worker is: | |
| Your counselor is: |
The following people will be supporting you
| Your CSI case manager is: | Phone: | ||
| Your counselor is: | Phone: | ||
| Your state worker is: | Phone: |
Your foster parents will support you daily in your new home.
They will encourage you to complete all activities of daily living as
independently as possible. They will
support and assist you in making choices, decisions, and helping you make new
friends. Your foster parents will
make sure you get to your doctors’ appointments, school and work.
They will assist you in taking your medications if needed.
Children’s Sanctuary believes that with the
proper level of support, you can live in a foster home in the community. Your
foster parents and our staff are committed to assisting you in making valuable
choices and helping you realize your personal goals.
We will do this through individualized planning based on your needs,
goals, and dreams. Treatment,
support, and services are individualized and meaningful to you.
Services provided by Children’s Sanctuary are focused on
wants, needs, and desires identified by you with the help of a group of
knowledgeable professionals who have experience in working with children and
families. These personalized plans are the driving force in service development.
The type and frequency of services are designed to meet your unique
needs.
LEVELS OF SUPPORT
Your Staff
A number of different types of
people will be supporting you in your home.
The following is a written description of each staff member and the role
they play.
Your Foster Parents
Foster
Parents will provide you with direct care services. All foster
parents have received extensive training in your rights and responsibilities,
nutrition, CPR/First Aid, medication administration, Therapeutic Crisis
Intervention, vehicle safety, and other areas.
Treatment Director
The Treatment Director is
responsible for the day-to-day operation of our treatment program and the
supervision of your foster parents. The Treatment Director also supervises your
social worker in the coordination of your services, and is responsible to insure
your treatment plan is being followed and recommendations are implemented.
The Treatment Director is your advocate when you have issues with your
services.
Social Worker
Your Social Worker will guide your
team in developing a plan to meet your needs and interests. He or she will
support you and represent you with the schools and other agencies to insure your
future success. A Children’s
Sanctuary Social Worker is available to you when needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
Children’s Sanctuary operates on
the premise that outcomes result from the collective efforts of a team.
The team effort in coordinating the services for each individual is the
very purpose of our agency's existence.
The Treatment Team is a group of people who are responsible for insuring
that training, supports, and services are coordinated to meet each
individual’s desires and needs. The
members of this team are also responsible for planning, implementing, and
monitoring the delivery of these services.
You are the most important member
of the team. Your opinions are
respected and there will be no negative consequences for voicing a want, desire
or complaint. We also value the
opinions of your family and friends. Every
member of your team has an equal voice in the outcome of the meeting.
Sometimes, all the members of your team may not attend your meeting.
Their opinions and professional input are given through the evaluations
and assessments they complete. The
attendance of various professionals and consultants will also vary depending
upon the issues to be discussed.
Anyone who has an impact on your
life may be a member of your team. This includes your friends, family,
Children’s Sanctuary staff, your doctor, state or county worker, psychologist,
teachers, employers and others that impact your daily life.
Your treatment team will meet every
three months to review the services you are receiving and determine if they are
helping you achieve your goals. Your
team can meet at any time if you, your social worker, or another team member
feel there is a need for review. The
following describes the different types of team meetings:
This meeting is held the day
you move into your new home. You,
your new foster parents, your social worker, your state worker and the people
who know you best, such as your family or friends, will get together and
determine what areas you require support. A
Pre-Treatment plan will be developed to include the services that you and your
team identify as possible supports for you.
Various appointments will be scheduled with physicians, a psychologist,
counselor, etc. These persons will
become members of your team and will complete assessments and evaluations that
will identify your strengths, needs, and desires.
Your team members will develop recommendations for treatment, services
and supports you will need.
Treatment Plan Meeting
Within the first 21 days and quarterly thereafter, your team will meet with you to
determine your goals, supports and service needs.
Needs are identified through assessments and evaluations completed prior
to the meeting. They will be incorporated into your Treatment Plan.
These meetings may be held at any time and requested by you
or any member of your team. These
meetings can evaluate changes in your life and consider recommendations and
solutions to on-going and/or emerging issues.
Changes in your treatment objectives or support needs may be implemented.
Other situations that call for a meeting may include behavioral concerns,
medical problems, family concerns, purchases, work/school issues, etc.
This meeting is held the day you
plan to move. Your social worker or foster parent will meet with the people who
will be supporting you in the future and finalize the transition plan.
Your social worker will give you any information about your new home.
You will be assisted in your home
on a daily basis in the protection of your rights.
Your foster parents will provide
you with
…privacy and choice
...freedom of speech and
confidentiality
...freedom of religion and your
basic civil rights.
Your foster parent will provide you with new clothing as
needed.
Your foster parents will give you a weekly allowance,
Age 6 to 11 = $3.50. Age
12 to 17 = $7.00, and help you start a savings account.
A very important right that you
have is the right to remain free from mistreatment, abuse and neglect.
Foster parent’s and social worker’s first responsibility is to
insure your safety and well-being. Your
foster parents and social worker are provided with training in the areas of
consumer rights, definitions of abuse and neglect, and the laws and procedures
for reporting violations of rights or abuse/neglect.
If an incident is reported, you are guaranteed a timely and objective
response to alleged or witnessed incidents of abuse or neglect, including a plan
of correction to insure future safety. All
allegations are taken seriously and a thorough investigation is completed.
Appropriate outside regulatory agencies are also contacted as indicated.
Another important right that you have is the right to confidentiality. All information, including written reports, video and audio information and computer-stored information, is confidential. This information is guarded from unauthorized disclosure without your guardian’s specific consent. Your records will be stored in a locked cabinet and made accessible only to program staff involved in your Individual Treatment Plan, and consultants hired to provide services to you.
Important: You have a right as a human being to be free of financial, physical or sexual exploitation, humiliation and retaliation. If you feel that any of these rights have been violated, report this to your Children's Sanctuary Social Worker or your state case worker immediately.
Your foster parents and social worker will assist you in exercising your rights in all aspects of your life, and they will report any potential violations of your rights in accordance with Children’s Sanctuary’s policies and procedures and state regulations. Your rights will be reviewed with you at your admissions meeting and annually thereafter. Although you have these rights, you must be responsible in exercising them. If requested, our staff will assist you in exercising your rights and making informed choices. They will provide you with training so that you may become more independent in exercising your rights. You may request a copy of the policy and procedure at any time.
Public Custodial
Agency
Executive Director
Treatment Director
Social Worker
Foster Parents
The Youth
You, your family and/or guardian will always participate in
the decision making process of your plan. At
times, you may be unhappy with the decision or feel it is inappropriate.
In addition, you may have concerns regarding other matters in the home or
community such as foster parent issues, recreational opportunities, or school
concerns. Children’s Sanctuary has
specific informal and formal methods for dealing with your concerns.
Children’s Sanctuary affords all individuals, parents, guardians or legal
representatives the opportunity for due process.
If informal methods of resolution are unsuccessful, you may file a
grievance. At no time will your
decision to file a grievance have a negative effect on you or your family.
If you have a question, comment or concern, please address it first with
your foster parents or your social worker. They
will attempt to informally resolve the issue and address the problem at the time
it is reported. If for some reason
they cannot solve the complaint, you may formally file a grievance with the
Treatment Director. This can be done
in verbal or written form. If you
are still not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask that the Executive
Director review the grievance as well. Finally,
a representative of your public custodial agency may be asked to make a final
decision on any matter that cannot be resolved by our staff.
We want you to be able to make choices that will make you
comfortable in your new home. You
will be sharing your home with others that have common interests and goals.
However, not everyone likes the same things or has the same goals.
Although we want everyone who lives in the home to have a voice and make
choices that do not offend others, basic home rules and responsibilities will be
established by your foster parents. These
rules will be reviewed with you at your admission meeting.
If issues arise, your social worker can assist your family in coming up
with solutions to problems, revisions to rules, etc.
It is very important that you and your new family respect each other’s
privacy, personal possessions, and feelings.
In your new home, you will have many responsibilities, such
as
keeping a clean room,
...helping
with household chores,
...and
completing your personal hygiene needs.
Visiting Away from Your Home
At times you may want to visit your birth family or friends.
We will support you in having regular contact with your family and
friends.
Plans for visitation with your family will be outlined in
your treatment plan and can only be changed with approval from your state or
county worker.
In the event you want to have an extended visit with friends
we will encourage you to do so, however, you must get approval from your social
worker.
Telephone and mail contact with family and friends will also
be outlined in your treatment plan.
 |
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Your foster parents will give you an orientation to emergency
procedures within the first 48 hours of your placement with them.
Be sure to ask questions related to any procedure that is unclear.
We want to make sure you are safe during your time in our program.
We hope that this handbook has assisted you in understanding
more about our agency and the home you are living in.
Please keep your handbook and refer to it when needed.
We want to welcome you again to your new home! We wish you much happiness and success in the future.
If
you need further information or have any questions, please contact you
Children's Sanctuary, Inc. Social Worker (Case Manager) or Treatment
Director. They will be happy to assist you.
Cecil R. Geary
Executive Director
Children’s Sanctuary, Inc.
Authorization of Receipt
I
have received a copy of the Children’s Sanctuary Child & Family
Handbook and I have had it
explained to me by a Children’s Sanctuary representative.
By signing below, I acknowledge that I understand and agree to comply
with the contents of this handbook.
| Your Signature: | Date: | ||
| Advocate's Signature: | Date: |