Foster Care and Therapeutic Foster Care for Children
In addition to crisis placements and respite care, Intermountain Centers offers two levels of foster care to children in Pima County who require a stable and safe out-of-home placement on a short or long term basis: Foster Care and Therapeutic Foster Care.
Native American Foster Care
Intermountain is now recruiting and training Native American families to provide foster care for Native American children. View details and requirements below.
Foster Care
A large number of children age 0 to 18 years are removed
from their families each year in Pima County and placed
in foster care homes on a short term basis, until the
issues that precipitated the breakdown in their family’s
foundation and their subsequent removal can be resolved
and the family reunified. Many of the boys and girls
come into the custody of Child Protective Services due to
neglect; some of them may have been exposed to alcohol
and drugs in their homes. Child Protective Services
contracts with Intermountain to find, train and support
foster families who can encourage and nurture children
who have experienced many challenges in their young
lives – neglect, family violence and drug and/or alcohol
abuse. The children requiring foster care oftentimes
suffer with night terrors, bedwetting, temper tantrums,
parentification (older children forced to care for younger
siblings), and intense fear of punishment. Removed
from their families under emergency circumstances, they
may arrive at the foster homes with limited personal
belongings. Intermountain provides a stable, supportive
family and warm home environment for these children
through its Foster Care Program headquartered in Tucson,
while we simultaneously work with the biological family
to reunite the children.
Therapeutic Foster Care
Children placed in therapeutic foster
care homes have special emotional
and behavioral needs that require
more intensive parenting skills than
Foster Care. In most cases, these
children have been removed from
their families and have lived in various group homes
and/or more restrictive settings. Stability and safety are
important needs for therapeutic foster children. They
look to the therapeutic foster parents for structured
but nurturing support, and to learn how to be part of
a healthy family unit. Therapeutic foster children must
learn how to function in the community, develop self-
esteem and self worth, and build positive life skills in the
self-care, social, academic, leisure and recreational realms
without the support of their biological families.
As many children requiring therapeutic foster care come
from a background of severe abuse and neglect, each
child and their foster family are assigned a coordinator
to aid in problem solving and behavior management
strategies. The goal of the therapeutic foster program
is to be able to integrate each child into a stable family
situation – a kinship foster family or biological family
- that doesn’t require intervention and will provide
permanence, following their involvement with a
therapeutic foster family in Pima County.
Child’s Support Services Provided by Foster Family
The children of Arizona, especially those in Pima County, need families willing to provide a safe, structured, and nurturing environment by serving as foster parents. Each child is required to have:
- A Safe Home Environment
- Nurturing, Supervision and Guidance
- Behavior Management and Structure
- A Designated Bedroom Accommodation for Safe Sleeping
- Meals Consisting of an Adequate Diet
- Hygiene Supplies for Daily Needs
- Health and Medical Care
- A Satisfactory Means of Transportation That Meets the Child’s Needs
- Education
- Religious and Cultural Freedom
- Community and Recreational Opportunities
Foster Family Support Services
Intermountain’s diverse population of foster families provides the ability to serve the children and youth of ethnic diversity in the foster care system. Intermountain coordinators are assigned to assure that all of our Foster and Therapeutic Foster Care providers receive the support services they require to be successful. All foster families receive the following benefits:
- Initial and On-Going Training in the Behavioral Model
- Licensing Application Administration
- 24 Hour a Day/7 Day a Week Telephone Support
- Respite Care, As Needed
- Availability of Bi-monthly Refresher Training
- A Continuum of Services for Each Child
- Support with All Services Rendered
- Networking with Other Provider Families
If you would like more information on the services provided by Intermountain Centers and the requirements for becoming licensed as a foster parent, contact Jack Smith at (520) 721-1887, extension 5283.