Therapeutic Foster Care

Biological, foster and adoptive families often face many issues and challenges, and agencies work to support them. Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC) is an evidence-based training and coaching model developed to train agency staff working in foster care on the core elements embedded within this trauma-informed curriculum.

I was sad to read in the Chicago Tribune that yet another well-respected institution is closing its doors to foster children as a consequence of the current belief that a loveless foster family is better than a caring residential placement.

California counties will now be able to offer a therapeutic treatment model in a supportive family setting through its Medi-Cal services, thanks to an agreement with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Accountability systems can be harmful when service providers are evaluated based on outcomes they cannot control. It is common knowledge that schools in low-income neighborhoods are often blamed for the poor performance of their students.

For out-of-county children on a path to adoption, the lack of consistent and timely mental health resources can have especially perilous consequences.

In 2002, lawyers representing foster youth in Los Angeles sued the county and California over its failure to service the mental health needs of children in or at risk of entering foster care.