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Join a Wrap-Around Team
We are so grateful that our foster families have stepped up to help a child facing a difficult situation. Many of us have a huge heart for foster children, but not everyone is able to be a foster parent. But don’t let that stop you from being involved. You can be a blessing to foster kids and their foster parents by becoming a part of a Wrap-Around Team. These teams surround and give support to foster families so they can continue to serve the children in their homes.
Each Team Will Consist of Four Roles:
Team Leader
- This position plays a vital role in the success of the overall group. This person needs to be a prayer warrior as well as administratively gifted. The majority of these tasks can be done through phone calls or emails. Responsibilities include:
- Organizes the group and checks in on the foster family at least once per week.
- Sends reminders of duties to the team while coordinating and communicating prayer support.
Family Helpers
- Each foster family would need at least four of these (preferably more). They would commit to do one act of service one time per month. We hope to have enough volunteers to bring a meal to the foster family weekly, but this volunteer would only be asked to do one act of service per month.
- An act of service might be to bring a meal to them once per month, or to come help with a household chore such as mowing, laundry, or whatever the gifting of the volunteer might be.
- These acts of service would all be scheduled in advance on a team calendar so you could sign up for the date and service that suits you best.
Interim Care Giver
- Each group would need at least one of these. In order to provide overnight care for the child or just an evening outing, the care giver must be licensed.
- They would need to be licensed through the foster parent's agency.
Do you have a heart for children in need?
Join a Wrap-Around Team that supports local foster families.
Become a Licensed Foster Parent
The Need
Texas is currently in crisis with their need for foster parents. Over the course of 2020, there was almost 800 children in the foster care system in Taylor County. Only 36% of those children stayed in Taylor County because there were not enough local foster families. We need more foster homes to ensure that every child in our area has a safe home to grow and heal, without leaving their schools, friends or sports teams when they go into foster care.
Foster Care & Adoption
Deciding to become a foster parent is a big decision. Our team is here to pray with you, answer questions you may have, and help guide you to your next steps in caring for vulnerable children.
- Foster care is caring for children in your home who cannot safely live with their parents or guardians.
- Foster care is designed to be temporary while the parents or guardians prepare to care for their children with the ultimate goal always being reunification of children with their birth families or guardians. However, adoption can be an option in cases where parental rights are terminated.
- In the state of Texas those desiring to foster must work with a Child Placing Agency (CPA) in order to be a licensed foster family. The typical time to complete the licensing process is four to six months.
- Singles and married couples can become licensed to provide foster care with no expectation or commitment to adopt
- Families can choose to foster children with or without special needs, individual children or sibling groups and children within age ranges of the families choosing.
- Families can be licensed to provide "respite" or relief care for foster parents on a short-term basis
- Families can also support foster families in their church or community in a variety of meaningful and practical ways
- Some families choose to be licensed to foster with the intent of adopting that child
- Once licensed, these families are carefully matched with children in foster care who are waiting for families
- Only children whose parental rights have already been terminated would be matched
- This type of adoption is virtually cost-free to the adoptive family and many times includes helpful benefits provided by the state
- If the child is eligible, these benefits may include various services, college tuition assistance and other financial stipends
- These families meet the same requirements as traditional foster parents
To learn more about questions you may have while considering adoption, read this free e-magazine that may answer many of your questions.
Common Requirements
Foster Parent Requirements
- Over the age of 21
- Clean criminal record
- Legal U.S. resident
- Space in the home adequate for a child
- Home that passes safety inspections
- Moral character and sound judgment deemed appropriate for parenting
- Required training and certifications
Foster Parents Are
- Responsible for meeting the emotional, physical, recreational, spiritual, material and safety needs of children
- Subject to rules (i.e., state standards) for care of children in their care monitored by CPS and/or a CPA (Child Placing Agency)
- Foster parents are reimbursed for caring for children in foster care
- The reimbursement is meant to cover the expenses of raising children; it is not considered "income" and is intended to be spent on the needs of children
- In most cases, the daily reimbursement is around $20-$25 per day for each child
- Children in foster care are also generally eligible for Medicaid in order to provide for their medical and dental needs
- In some cases funds are available to reimburse foster parents for a portion of their childcare costs
Parent Licensing
Beltway Park partners with several local agencies to provide foster parent licensing. Below are the names of some local agencies who other foster parents at Beltway Park have used. If you have friends who foster, be sure to ask your friends which agency they have used and ask about their experiences. You are absolutely welcome to ask your questions to each agency before signing with one particular agency for training.
Some great questions to ask each agency are:
- What training and post-placement supervision do you offer?
- What is the assessment process for potential foster or adoptive families?
- Do you have any unique agency requirements?
- Do you offer respite licensing so that our friends can help us in our foster care journey? If so, how often?
Become a CASA Volunteer
Big Country CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) trains and supports volunteer advocates for children removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. Each CASA volunteer is appointed by the court to represent the best interests of a child or set of siblings in foster care and to advocate for the services they need to heal and thrive. CASA’s goal is to help children find safe, permanent homes as soon as possible and ultimately, become healthy adult citizens.
- CASA volunteers are screened, highly trained and appointed by judges to advocate for a child's best interests in the child protection system.
- CASA volunteers are each assigned to one child or set of siblings so they can focus on giving them the individualized advocacy and attention they need.
- CASA volunteers save taxpayers money and children's futures by helping children find a safe, permanent home as soon as possible.
- Willing to commit at least eighteen months of your time for the benefit of the child
- Able to effectively communicate orally and in writing
- Willing to go through an in-depth training program
- Able to pass an extensive criminal and CPS history background check
- Age 21 and over
Be a Voice
In Texas, 72 local programs with more than 7,200 volunteers are serving nearly 23,000 abused and neglected children in 208 counties. However, more than 24,000 children in foster care do not have someone to speak up for them.
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