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March 2023 Issue 60

Self-Injury Awareness Month

Foster care is a system designed to provide temporary or long-term care for children who are unable to live with their biological families due to various reasons. This system aims to provide children with a safe and stable environment where they can grow and thrive. However, children in foster care often face numerous challenges, including the risk of self-injury.

Self-injury, also known as self-harm, is a behavior that involves deliberately harming one's body without the intention of suicide. It is often used as a coping mechanism for emotional pain, stress, or trauma. Self-injury can take many forms, including cutting, burning, scratching, hitting, or biting oneself.

Studies have shown that children in foster care are at a higher risk of self-injury compared to their peers. The reasons for this are complex and multifaceted. Many children in foster care have experienced neglect, abuse, or trauma before entering the system. The loss of their biological family, coupled with the instability of moving from one placement to another, can exacerbate these feelings of isolation and hopelessness.

Children in foster care may also face unique challenges that can contribute to self-injury. They may feel stigmatized or ashamed of being in foster care, which can lead to feelings of low self-worth and self-blame. They may also feel like they have no control over their lives, which can lead to a sense of powerlessness and despair.

It is essential for caregivers and professionals in the foster care system to be aware of the signs of self-injury and to provide appropriate support and interventions. Some signs of self-injury may include unexplained cuts, bruises, or burns on the body, wearing long sleeves or pants to cover up injuries, or frequent isolation and avoidance of social situations.

If a child in foster care is engaging in self-injury, it is important to approach the situation with compassion and understanding. Caregivers and professionals should create a safe and supportive environment where the child feels comfortable expressing their feelings and receiving help. They should also work with the child to develop healthy coping mechanisms, such as talking to a trusted adult, engaging in physical activity, or practicing relaxation techniques.

In addition, caregivers and professionals should work to address the underlying causes of self-injury. This may involve therapy, medication, or other forms of treatment to help the child cope with past trauma and build resilience for the future.

Overall, self-injury is a serious concern for children in foster care, but with the right support and interventions, it is possible to reduce the risk and promote healing. By raising awareness of this issue and providing appropriate care and resources, we can help children in foster care lead happier, healthier lives.

Icebreaker Meetings

When a child is in out-of-home care, there is often a lot of fear and anxiety on the side of both the parents (biological) and caregiver (foster family). The parents don't know who is caring for their child, how they are caring for them, if they are supporting the child's culture, etc. The caregiver doesn't know the child's needs or history, what sort of cultural practices the child has, the child's likes/dislikes, etc. The best way to put everyone at ease is to have them communicate directly through Shared Parenting.

Shared Parenting is a positive, supportive alliance between caregivers and parents who have an open case with DCS. The goal is to keep the parents involved in their child's day-to-day life and to provide the caregiver with important insight about the child. Shared Parenting minimizes the trauma experienced by children when they are removed from their home. It seeks to preserve and nurture the child's relationship with parents, siblings, and extended family. It provides caregivers with necessary information about the child in order to best meet their needs. Relationships and attachments can often be preserved after reunification. Shared Parenting has been shown to increase reunification rates, reduce re-entry into foster care, and improve retention of foster families.

While the Department does encourage Shared Parenting, we understand that getting started can be challenging. It is daunting to reach out blindly, not knowing if the other party is willing to engage. To assist with this, DCS has partnered with Fostering Families AZ, a local non-profit organization, to facilitate Icebreaker Meetings.

An Icebreaker Meeting is a meetup between the parents and caregiver that creates an opportunity to build a bridge between the families and establishes the foundation of Shared Parenting. It allows the parents, caregiver, and facilitator to discuss and work out what is expected of one another in the early stages of the relationship. It gives the caregiver an opportunity to learn about the child's background and discuss the child's care, their routines, likes and dislikes, what gives them comfort, etc. It allows the parents the opportunity to meet the family who is caring for their child in their absence. They can learn about the caregiver's family, their background caring for children, and their plan for caring for their child.

As a result of the Icebreaker Meeting, the child will feel the support and concern from both families working together. The parents are able to remain involved and contribute to the care of their child while outside the home. They can also gain a sense of support in having a connection with the child's caregiver. The caregiver will receive valuable information which will assist them in providing the consistency and care necessary to reduce trauma to the child, as well as create the beginning of a relationship with the parents.

At this time, Icebreaker Meetings are only being piloted out of the Peoria DCS office. Caregivers are being informed of this, as a child can be placed anywhere, regardless out of which office their case is based. The Icebreaker Meeting is optional for both the parents and caregivers. The information about the program will be provided to the parents, and if they choose to move forward with the Icebreaker Meeting, the caregiver will be contacted by Fostering Families AZ. If the DCS Specialist believes that there are any safety concerns, the Icebreaker Meeting can be held virtually or telephonically, however in-person is preferred when appropriate. Please do not contact your agency or DCS Specialist requesting an Icebreaker Meeting. You will be contacted if the meeting has been requested.

Shared Parenting is part of the Family Foster Home Agreement and Arizona Administrative Code:

FFHA:

2. The Foster Parent(s) agree to:

  • 2.1. Abide by state and federal laws, the laws and rules as set forth in Foster Parent Licensing Rules, Arizona Administrative Code, Title 21, and Chapter 6 and 8.
  • 2.7. Encourage, support and cooperate with the child’s relationship with their family and important persons in their life, including visitation arrangements, as approved by the child’s DCS Specialist or as ordered by the Court.
  • 2.8. Participate as a member of the child’s service team by working cooperatively with DCS and other service providers in planning for the child’s welfare and meeting the child’s needs.

AAC:

R21-6-305. Nurturing Responsibilities - A foster parent shall nurture a foster child by:

  • 9. Providing opportunities for the child to contact family members by means of face-to-face contact, mail, telephone, or other modes of communication, unless otherwise directed by the Child Placing Agency.

R21-6-206. Licensing Agency Foster Home Study and Assessment - C. The home study shall include a summary of self-assessments, interviews, and observations evaluating the applicant’s fitness for licensure, including:

  • 15. Willingness to share parenting for a foster child with that child’s birth family

For questions or resources regarding Shared Parenting, contact Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk.

Guardian Tips - Special Rates

Licensed caregivers receive a daily reimbursement rate of at least $19.68 per child, also known as a Level 1 daily bed rate. The Level 1 rate should automatically renew every 12 months, if the child is still placed in the home. (See the February Thrive newsletter for how to proceed if it does not.)

There are other rates of reimbursement that the caregiver may qualify for, based on the child's services/needs, if the child is part of a sibling group of 3 or more placed in the same home, or if the child has stepped down from a group home to the foster home. These are known as "special rates," or SP2 and SP3. These rates must be renewed every 6 months and are NOT automatic. An application must be submitted by the DCS Specialist via Guardian. The review process can take 30-45 days once the application has been submitted. If the SP rate expires before the application has been approved, the caregiver will not be reimbursed, as it will not default to the Level 1 rate. Instead, the caregiver will be back-paid at the approved rate from the date that the prior service approval expired once the application has been processed.

Please review your service approvals in Guardian for the expiration date (or ask the DCS Specialist or Licensing Worker to help you find the information) and mark your calendar to request the renewal application 45-60 days prior to that date in order to avoid a gap in reimbursement. DCS Specialists do not manage service approvals, so they likely do not track this information and will not submit it without a request from the caregiver.

If you need assistance locating the DCS Specialist or Supervisor contact information or facilitating communication, please reach out to the Warmline. You must leave a message with your name, provider number (if you know it), and the child's name, date of birth, and date of placement/departure: 877-543-7633, option 3.

Therapeutic Foster Care Info Sessions

Dear Caregivers,

We thank you for your ongoing commitment and support to the children and families you support in our community. We are writing today to discuss a growing need in our community to support more children in a family setting. There are opportunities to support children in need by being a Therapeutic Foster Caregiver. We believe that many community caregivers have the skills and experience needed to be successful serving children with higher therapeutic needs. Children in therapeutic foster care need consistent and stable caregivers with behavioral health experience and skills in order to help them on the path to succeed in their next family environment.

We would like to invite you to attend a virtual information session with the agencies that support Therapeutic Foster Care, to help share information regarding the licensing experiences and differences from community care. These information sessions will review specific guidelines and requirements for becoming a Therapeutic Foster Caregiver. We hope that you will consider attending to learn more and see if this is something that you and your family might be interested in pursuing. If it is not right for you, consider that you may know someone who is a good fit. If so, please recommend this opportunity to them.

Virtual Information Sessions:

  • Every 2nd Thursday of the month (6pm)
  • Every 4th Saturday of the month (10am)

Thank you so much for your time and dedication to children and families in need.

Sincerely, Gillian Vanasse, Assistant Director for Foster Care Supports

Clothing Swap

Family Fun Fair - Tucson

Join us on Saturday, April 1st, 9am-1pm at Reid Park's Festival Area for a fun-packed day full of stuff for the kids like bouncy houses, face painting, food, games & activities, crafts, and more, while receiving giveaways and lots of resources for you, too. We're even giving out zoo tickets! A FREE event hosted by the SAYF Council, open to the community. Hope to see you there!!

Aviva Children's Services - Tucson

PAX Tools Training

Arizona Professionals are Talking about PAX!

Staff from the Arizona Department of Juvenile Correction recently attended a PAX Tools training and had this to say:

"I found this training very helpful, and I believe some of the interventions would be very useful in our setting. Thank you!"

"Thank you for this comprehensive presentation - this gives me a good sense of PAX and provoked thoughts of how we might incorporate this into our work and improvements we want to make for better outcomes in our culture."

PAXIS Institute is excited to partner with Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System to offer no-cost PAX Tools trainings across Arizona.

PAX Tools is a collection of trauma-informed evidence-based strategies that help youth develop the skills of self-regulation with the support of caring adults. PAX Tools trainings provide human service professionals, community educators, and youth workers with a unified approach to behavior across the youth system of care. PAX Tools is designed for use at home or in the community by other caring adults such as parents, caregivers, and other adults who serve youth in volunteer or professional settings. Wherever a child is learning behavioral skills, PAX has an appropriate application.

Through this initiative, PAXIS Institute is providing no-cost training in PAX Tools Human Services, PAX Tools Community Educator, PAX Tools for Youth Workers, and PAX Tools Workshops to support families and caregivers.

All trainings include materials and a certificate of completion and come at no cost to the participant. Plus, complete a PAX Tools training during non-work hours and receive an Amazon gift card!

To learn more about PAX Tools or to schedule a training for your staff, email: paxarizona@paxis.org

Foster Ed

ASA Now

ASA Now is a non-profit organization that ADVOCATES for, SUPPORTS, and ASSISTS children and families impacted by foster care. We are passionate about providing support to families and professionals by restoring hope and empowering them to better serve these children in need.

Services we offer include tutoring & extracurricular activities, food pantry, clothing, and meeting basic necessities. Other services include life skills for youth, respite care, therapeutic programs, family activities, peer-to-peer support groups, education and training on utilizing Jacob's Law to obtain behavioral health services, providing resources to families and caregivers to successfully navigate the foster care system, raising awareness, recruiting new foster families, and advocating for families and their children.

Arizona Helping Hands

Arizona Helping Hands provides essential needs for children in foster care in an effort to help every foster child feel safe and loved. Our programs provide beds, clothing, hygiene items, birthday packages, backpacks filled with school supplies, licensing safety items, foster footlockers, and more. Our services are open to kinship and foster families with a current Notice to Provider.

After hearing stories of caseworkers driving over six hours to pick up items like beds, clothes, and birthday gifts, we have decided to open a second Arizona Helping Hands location in Flagstaff, Arizona. This northern location is our first step in expanding access to our services across the state. To receive assistance from our Flagstaff location, please contact Matt Lipan at mlipan@azhelpinghands.org to schedule an appointment.

Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents

AZAFAP wants to support you and the children in your family (foster, kinship, adopted, biological). We are a non-profit, statewide organization that serves families who adopt children and provide foster and kinship care. Working in partnership with child welfare professionals and the community, our purpose is to support, educate, empower and provide a unified voice for Arizona’s foster and adoptive families, with the goal of increasing the well-being and stability of Arizona’s most vulnerable children. AZAFAP’s programming is open to all foster, kinship, and adoptive families in Arizona. Basic membership is free and includes a subscription to our monthly newsletter with information and resources, our online support groups, and some of our training. Premier membership is available for an annual fee of $75 for two-parent families and a discounted rate of $50 for single-parent families. Premier members are eligible to participate in all program activities. Our programming includes Family Connections events like camps, picnics, and staycations, Family Support Services such as training, Children’s Basic Needs with new shoes, jackets, toys, bikes, and Community Awareness events. Join us today before the Family Camp registration opens! Visit www.azafap.org/membership for more information.

Sign up on our Event Calendar! If you aren’t a member yet, check out our free membership so you can sign up! Ever need adult conversation during the week? We also have weekly drop-in chats on the calendar on Tuesdays and Fridays!

Christian Family Care Training

AZ.127 Foster Family Support & Connections

AZ.127 will be offering support via Facebook & Instagram mini-sessions of techniques and tools from the Trust-Based Relational Intervention program. Additionally, they will be matching mentor foster families with foster families in need of support.

Helen's Hope Chest

At Helen's Hope Chest, our mission is to engage the community to provide for the basic needs of children and teens in foster and kinship care. Helen's provides more than just clothes for kids in care. It is important that every youth who comes through our door feels a sense of confidence, acceptance, and dignity. Our boutique environment allows kids to choose their favorite items and feel like they are in a regular store, all at no cost to the foster/kinship family.

Families with a current foster or kinship placement are encouraged to call us at 480-969-5411 to schedule an appointment.

Tucson Resources

Spreading Threads is a grassroots, nonprofit community clothing bank that provides free clothes to foster youth in southern Arizona. The organization was founded by two foster moms in Tucson who have fostered and adopted several children in Arizona. Your donations go directly to local children in need. On the second Saturday of each month, foster, adoptive, and kinship families can visit the clothing bank. A Notice to Provider will be needed. The clothing bank events are held at 2945 N Flowing Wells in Tucson.

A Mighty Change of Heart

A Mighty Change of Heart provides FREE duffle bags to foster children with new, age-appropriate items inside: 2 outfits, shoes & socks, underwear, a book, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and more. These bags have the children’s names embroidered on them, and are something that they can call their very own. They have delivered over 3,500 bags across the state.

Please check out their website for more information: www.amchaz.com. If your family, business, church group or school would be interested in holding a donation drive, please contact A Mighty Change of Heart. Items are always needed.

STEP Training- TUCSON

Support, Tools, and Education for Parents (STEP) is designed to build positive relationships between family members. It provides a safe space to discuss topics that may be too difficult to talk about at home. These conversations are about peer pressure, stress, and the importance of working together as a team. When caregivers and children work together, it creates a stronger family! The Children’s Advocacy Center understands that family does not always mean a biological parent and child. STEP is a program that will benefit the whole family, including biological, foster, kinship, and adoptive families.

Families enrolled in STEP will meet virtually each week. Each session consists of different topics such as communication, stress management, substance abuse prevention and how to talk to your child about difficult topics (identifying potential child abusers, child abuse, healthy and concerning sexualized behavior), each session building on the next. Child care will be available when classes are offered in person again. For questions, please contact Jackie Ballesteros at jballesteros@soazadvocacy.org or 520-724-2148.

Warmline Supports Kinship and Foster Families

The Foster Parent Warmline is available for kinship families and licensed foster parents. While not an emergency number, Warmline staff can assist with information, timely communication, and support. It is not intended to discourage or replace direct and regular communication between the DCS Specialist and the out-of-home caregiver. You can reach the Warmline by calling 1-877-KIDSNEEDU (1-877-543-7633) and selecting Option 3. Please leave a message with your name and contact information in order to receive a call back.

Children's Heart Gallery

More than 70 percent of the children in need of forever families are adopted by their relatives or foster parents. For the remainder, special recruitment efforts like the Heart Gallery are used to connect them with a forever family.

The children featured in the Heart Gallery represent all ethnic groups and range in age from toddlers to teenagers. Some have special behavioral or medical needs, some are without siblings, and others are in groups of siblings.

Amirrah

Amirrah is a very friendly and bubbly girl with a big heart. Amirrah loves baking or cooking in her free time and is a big fan of spicy food. Her ideal day would be spent at the salon getting mani/pedis and her hair done. Amirrah's goal is to graduate with good grades. She wants to be a police officer when she grows up to help protect others.

Amirrah was born in 2006.

Raymond

Raymond is friendly and bursting with personality. In his free time, he enjoys reading and hanging out with friends. Raymond loves gymnastics and working on new tumbling passes. Raymond looks forward to joining more extracurricular activities and hopes to join the cheer team next school year. Raymond dreams of one day becoming an actor.

Raymond was born in 2009.

Jacob & Rylin

Jacob and Rylin are adorable, sweet kids, who love to laugh and play together. They both love to play with Army men, dinosaurs, and cars. Both are very active and enjoy playing outside. Jacob loves board games and technology. Rylin enjoys sensory activities.

Jacob was born in 2011. Rylin was born in 2016.

AZ Families Thrive is published monthly by the Arizona Department of Child Safety to inform foster, kinship, and adoptive families across the state. Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk created this edition. Please feel free to email with questions, comments, or content you may be interested in seeing in future editions. Sign up to receive email updates when new issues are posted.

Interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent? Call us: 1-877-KIDS-NEEDU (1-877-543-7633) or email us: FosterAdoption@azdcs.gov. Visit us online: www.azkidsneedu.gov.

To report child abuse or neglect: 1-888-SOS-CHILD

Created By
Rhiannon Schaudt-Hobkirk
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