Foster Care

Foster care is the temporary placement of children outside of their own homes. It occurs because of parenting issues, abuse, neglect or other family problems.

When a Juvenile Court Judge determines that a child cannot return to their home, then alternative placement is researched. The law requires that the Court uses the “least restrictive placement” possible. Relatives are considered first, followed by traditional foster care, then treatment or therapeutic foster care.

The goal of most foster placements is to resolve problems and to return the child home.

Treatment or therapeutic foster care is a step above traditional foster care.

The children serviced in therapeutic care all have complex trauma or a mental health diagnosis and are receiving additional services such as counseling, medication or case management. Many children in therapeutic foster care simply need more support and services than can be provided in traditional foster care.

Therapeutic foster care focuses on helping children reach their goals and transition back to their family or find other permanent placements such as adoption or independent living.

Many kinds of children need treatment in foster homes. The children who currently need homes the most are:

• African-American adolescents
• Caucasian adolescents 
• Hispanic children 
• Teenage mothers and their babies
• Children with special medical needs   
• Siblings who need to stay together
• Babies born with drugs in their system

We serve children from birth to 21 years old. Typically, most of our children are in the pre-teen to teenage range.

All foster children have experienced the trauma of being separated from their caregivers. Some children have suffered additional trauma from instability, neglect, or abuse. Foster parents have the life changing ability to provide safe, loving environments where children can heal and learn to thrive.

Omni will provide therapeutic training to help foster parents learn how to effectively parent children who have experienced trauma.

You can complete a request for information here or call a local office to express your interest in becoming a foster parent.

Our staff are eager to talk to you and help you through the process. Our knowledgeable staff are here to answer any questions you may have and to work alongside you to determine if fostering if right for you and your family. Staff will get you signed up for training classes, come visit your home, and begin working on a home study. We will try to prepare you for your role as a foster parent, while also getting to know you and your family.

The licensure process includes background checks, drug screens, paperwork, a phyiscal, home study, and references. We will also help determine if you have space for a child or children and address any safety concerns at your home and property.

Our staff want to help prepare you for fostering and set you up to be successful in working with children

Generally, it depends on how efficiently you complete and submit the requirements. On average, it takes approximately four months to complete the process.

We cannot guarantee a specific date or time frame for placing a child in your home. A lot of factors affect placement such as a child needing a specific school district, race/religion preference, needing a two-parent home vs. a single parent, ability to be placed with other children, etc. Also, your own preferences may affect wait time.

The more open to behaviors, ages and differences you are, as well as your demonstration of therapeutic skills, the sooner you may get a placement. However, all parties involved must agree that this will be a good match. Please be patient with this process.

First and foremost, this not a solo effort. You will be joining a team to help you with the child placed in your care. You will be assigned a resource coordinator to provide support, guidance and assistance. In addition, Omni offers 24/7 on-call support and monthly training sessions to help you build your knowledge base and skill sets.

• Financial Assistance: Therapeutic foster parents receive a monthly reimbursement to cover the child’s food, housing, clothing, transportation, personal allowance and treatment needs of the youth. Each state has levels of care, meaning the level of service the child is expected to need while in the program. Each level has its own foster parent per diem. The higher the level of treatment needed reflects a higher per diem.  
• Medical Care: Most foster children get a medical card from the state, which guarantees payment for all necessary medical care and preventive medicine. We will help you select a physician for a child placed with you. The medical card is also accepted by many hospitals and for approved prescriptions. You should not pay any medical bills directly.
• Educational Services: Foster children go to regular public schools. An Omni staff person will assist with school liaison and assessment of educational needs.
• Personal Support: Omni and your supervising child’s referring agency caseworker are responsible for supporting your family on a daily basis. Each agency, including Omni Family of Services, has developed internal support, which includes foster parent support groups, after-hours telephone numbers, and community resources.

No. You can rent your home or apartment. If you rent, you are required to have renter’s insurance.