Treatment Foster Care

Every child deserves a chance to grow up within a family. Yet thousands of children right here in Northeast Ohio have been removed from their birth families because of abuse or neglect. These children need foster families who can provide the special care they need until they can return to their own families or adoptive homes.

More than ever before, the children coming into foster care are increasingly troubled, with multiple problems stemming from chronic abuse and neglect, exposure to violence or parental drug and alcohol addiction. Far too many have been moved from place to place, leaving them feeling unwanted, angry and hopeless about their future.

Never has the need for highly skilled, professional foster parents been more urgent.

A Safe Haven for Children in Need

When children must be taken from their families, whether temporarily or permanently, Beech Brook's Foster Care Program provides a 24-hour therapeutic environment where healing can begin.

While in foster care at Beech Brook, children have access to a full range of mental health services, including:

• individual, group and family therapy;
• psychiatric consultation;
• attachment/bonding therapy;
• art and music therapy;
• therapeutic activities;
• training in independent living skills for older teens;
• respite care;
• wraparound services.

Working Hand in Hand to Help Children

Beech Brook foster parents and staff work together to help children prepare for reunification with their biological families, when possible; adoption for those who will not be returning to their birth families; or in the case of teens, independent living.

Sometimes foster families become adoptive families when children cannot be returned to their birth parents. For foster parents choosing to adopt, foster to adoption assistance is available.

An Essential Part of the Treatment Team

Beech Brook foster parents receive extensive, ongoing training and support to become part of their foster children's treatment team, including:

• intensive, initial training;
• ongoing monthly training and support sessions;
• respite services, in and out of the home;
• 24-hour emergency support;
• case management;
• competitive pay.

Beech Brook's "Teaching Family Model" provides foster parents with additional techniques to help the children work on appropriate behavior, problem-solving techniques and social skills.

Different Care to Meet Different Needs

Beech Brook offers three types of foster care to meet the needs of different children. At every level, case managers work closely with the child, the foster family, the referring agency and, when appropriate, the biological family.

Each child is carefully matched with a foster family who can meet his/her needs and minimize the chance for further disruption.

Therapeutic Foster Care

These homes provide the highest level of support for children with the most serious emotional and behavioral problems. Many of these are teens or early adolescents who need more intensive therapy and services.

Treatment Foster Care

Children in Treatment Foster Care may also require therapy and support to work through emotional issues, although their problems are not as severe as those requiring therapeutic care.

Family Foster Care

These foster parents provide care for children who need a stable, nurturing foster home during their out-of-home stay but who do not suffer from serious emotional or behavioral problems.

For more information about the Foster Care program, contact: fostercare@beechbrook.org