HOPE (Helping Others in Parenting Environments) is a community-based foster care program developed by The Methodist Home. Therapeutic foster care is often an appropriate setting for children who are ready to leave the Home, but are not ready to return to their family. Foster families are recruited to provide this important service for children needing a day-to-day family experience.
Therapeutic Foster Care is provided when DFCS or Mental Health through the approval of the MATCH Committee seek services for a child who requires therapeutically designed interventions to improve social, emotional, and educational adaptive behavior in a family setting.
Philosophy of The HOPE Program
Child welfare agencies must support the belief that a child’s own home provides the best environment for his/her total growth as a healthy human being. However, substitute care must be provided when his/her own home is unable to provide for basic needs. Our services are directed toward maintaining or re-establishing the child’s own home when this is possible. Due to family disruptions, it sometimes becomes impossible for the parents to continue to provide for their children in their own home. In this type of situation, separation is necessary. Your interest, understanding, love affection, and day-to-day care are vital and something special in the lives of children who are separated from their families. The important work of helping many children and their families toward the goal of being reunited would not be possible without your service. However, in some cases there will be little or no change or restoration; therefore, our goals will be long-term family foster care, adoption, and/or placement in another appropriate setting. Family foster care provides the child not retuning to a birth home with skills they need to adjust to a long-term placement.
To be foster parents is very demanding and carries heavy responsibilities. It is a very rewarding and growth producting experience for many individuals presently involved in this type of service to children, but one must be aware that it is an around-the-clock responsibility and requires exceptional patience and deep insight into the needs of troubled children. It can be, and usually is, a very fine way of expressing one’s Christian commitment and desire for direct service to others.
You and The Methodist Home are partners in the job of caring for a child. Yet the role of each of use is different. In accepting a child, we at The Home assume responsibility for his/her care, providing a nurturing environment among our children, deciding when family foster care is feasible and appropriate, helping the child with his/her feelings about being away from his/her own family, and keeping in touch with his/her family and HOPE Parents. In considering placement for the children, The Home seeks out those homes which can further the child’s development by continuing to provide a nurturing environment with traditional family values and social land cultural stimulation.
You, as HOPE Parents, assume responsibility for day-to-day care of the child. You provide training, discipline, as well as nourishing food in order to help the child grow up to be a healthy, responsible citizen. You provide an atmosphere in which children can truly feel accepted as part of your family. Upon coming into a new family setting, children may require a long adjustment period. They will require much of your patience, love, understanding, and help through this difficult period.
The Mission of HOPE
We at The HOPE Program stand united as a Christian organization designed to support the goals and mission of The Methodist Home for Children and Youth in providing the highest quality foster care services to meet the present and future needs of children and their families. We recruit, train and support foster families to provide a loving structured environment in order to increase the stability of a child as we work toward permanency.
Our Values
o Kid’s need come first – Always
o We provide a safe environment
o We provide treatment, not just care
o We support traditional family values
o We seek to empower children
o We encourage Spiritual growth for our children
o We constantly evaluate and improve our performance
o We are committed to our staff
o We go the extra mile |
