JOHNSON CHILDREN’S

SERVICES INC.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

PRESENTATION

Mission StatementThe Mission of Johnson Children’s Services is to promote the growth of children and youth while strengthening the family unit.Johnson Children’s Services was organized to address the growing deficit of services to troubled children and families in our community.Every individual has the intrinsic right to have his or her basic needs met in a respectful, supportive manner. Families deserve every reasonable opportunity to preserve their family unit. We recognize that the family is the foundation of our community.

Market Summary

MODEL OF THE FOSTER AGENCY

Johnson Children’s Services is a treatment foster care agency located in Central Eastern Region of Ontario providing individualized services to foster children with special needs.

FOSTER CHILD PROFILE Generally, children who are placed in care have one or more special need (ADD, ADHD, FAS, FAE, acting out behaviors, high anxieties, trauma due to abuse, neglect or even separation, physical and/or mental disabilities…). These children require extra therapeutic and specialized support to stabilize a foster placement. Also, the foster parents require extra support and training to meet the needs of the children entrusted in their care. Johnson Children’s Services will ensure that both the foster child and the foster parents needs are well supported.

WHAT MAKES JOHNSON CHILDREN’S

SERVICES A TREATMENT PROGRAM? Johnson Children’s Services is a treatment program because of the services and supports provided to both the children and the foster parents. Johnson Children’s Services also provides extensive training to our foster parents and staff, who we believe are the primary therapists for children in care. Supports offered by Johnson Children’s Services include:  Following the “Wraparound Process” by Dr. John Vandenberg, Ph.D.

Business Concept

BASIC SUPPORTS OFFERED TO JOHNSON CHILDREN’S SERVICES INC

All foster children in the Johnson Children’s Services program will receive the following services.

1. Wraparound Process

The Wraparound Process identifies every child in care as an individual with individual needs. The Wraparound consists of a team of family members as well as professionals, is community based and is culturally competent and unconditional.

 

The team The team would generally consist of the foster parents, a Johnson Children’s Services representative, some other family member or family friend who cares about the child; the natural parents can be included if the situation is beneficial. The other half of the team would be professionals involved with the child, selected according to the needs of the child (teacher, therapist, social worker, medical or legal representative, etc). The team should include the child unless it would prove to be detrimental. The team should consist of 4-8 members and only half should be professionals.

 

Community based

Community based means assessing the strengths and resources of the local community first before sending a child to a special institution or special school out of town, for example.

Culturally competent

Culturally competent means the team respects the child’s culture, values and ethnic background, and services are tailored accordingly.

Unconditional

Unconditional means the team agrees to change services as the child and family needs change and never deny the child services due to severe disability.

Unconditional Johnson Children’s Services will diligently provide the tools for the children in care to succeed in all areas of their lives: academic, social, emotional, spiritual and physical. Johnson Children’s Services believes that each child has an area where he or she can experience success. Ultimately success breeds success; success raises self esteem; positive self esteem allows children to feel confident, to risk more and allows them to succeed again and again. Successful children become successful adults and that is Johnson Children’s Services ultimate goal.

Develop the Wraparound Process

The procedure to develop the Wraparound Process is as follows;

1. Johnson Children’s Services will identify and recognize the strengths, values, preferences, cultural identity and norms of each child.

Develop the Wraparound Process

2. Johnson Children’s Services works with the child and foster family to identify 4-8 persons important in the child’s life, to form a child or family team. Member of the team could include the foster parents, natural parents, if applicable a Johnson Children’s Services representative, the Placing Agency social worker, a teacher or school representative, Child and youth Worker, a therapist, a lawyer, doctor, the child (if capable) and any other important persons in the child’s life. The team must be more than 50% professionals.

Develop the Wraparound Process

3.The child and family team looks at strengths, values and preferences of the child, family and the community. The team produces a plan that is based on the strengths and the needs of the child. Needs are defined in positive terms, such as the need to succeed in school. Goals are set along with success indicators for achieving these goals. The appropriate person is appointed to support and monitor the child and the progress of the goal is reported back to the team at the Plan of Cares

Develop the Wraparound Process

4.The child and family team produces a crisis plan. The crisis plan is intended to help prevent crisis, but also to deal with them if they occur.

Develop the Wraparound Process

5.Outcome indicators are designed and outcome information is collected as the plan is regularly reviewed. Without outcomes the wraparound process is not effective.

2. Two Week Camp

Each child will have an opportunity to participate in two weeks of camp during summer months.

3. Special Interest Johnson Children’s Services strongly supports children involvement in sports, recreational, community based activities and/or hobbies. These activities allow the child an opportunity to feel successful, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, to learn about him/herself by being pushed to the limit and building dreams. Community activities also give the child an opportunity to make friends and interact with peers.Special interest may also give the older youths in the program an opportunity to gain work experience either in a co-op, summer job.

Teenage Program The purpose of this program is to recognize and deal with the issues of adolescents in care as well as peer pressure, education and careers, puberty and sexuality, self esteem, drugs and alcohol, choices and decisions including the decision to leave care at 16 years of age.There will be gathering involving guest speakers to give insight and inspiration on certain topics. There will also be fundraising events and excursions.

Summer ProgramThis program was established to provide structured and organized activities for the children in Johnson Children’s Services during the summer months. It is under the supervision of Johnson Children’s Services Child and Youth Workers that activities and events are planned for the children three days a week.There will also be opportunities for fundraising, peer interaction, discussions of being in foster care with other foster children, overnight camping and deploying and achieving personal challenges .

Therapy All foster children will have access to psychotherapy. The frequency and the amount of sessions will depend on the child needs with the maximum of 3 eight-hour sessions per year. Topics discussed in therapy could include:

Anger managementConflict resolutionGrief therapySeparation anxietySelf esteem issuesPersonal issues

Support Workers

Depending on the needs of the child, Johnson Children’s Services will provide a one-on-one child and Youth Worker or Family Support Worker for a child for up to 40 hours a week per child, providing additional tutoring, teaching life sills in the home or extra curricular activities in the community. Generally only children that require support in the school environment receive 40 hours a week

Monthly Relief

Each child will go on monthly relief at least one weekend a month. Depending on the child and foster family’s needs relief may be provided on a bi-weekly or weekly basis in some cases. This will ensure a break for both the Foster Parent and the child.

PER DIEM LEVELS FOR THE FOSTER CHILDREN

Specialized Foster Care

Level 1 - includes the basic support plus:

up to ten (10) hours a week with a one-on-one worker

&/or

regular monthly weekend relief

&/or

access to twelve (1) hour therapy sessions

PER DIEM LEVELS FOR THE FOSTER CHILDREN

Treatment Foster CareLevel 11 - includes the basic support plus up to forty (40) hours a week with a one-on-one worker or CYC &/or bi-weekly or even weekly weekend relief &/oraccess to three blocks of twelve one (1) hour therapy sessions.

FOSTER PARENT PROFILES

 Seasoned natural parents or adult with some experience working with special needs children. These families have not had any fostering experience yet.

Seasoned Foster parents or adults with extensive experience working with special need children. They would feel comfortable fostering and caring for any level of child.

SUPPORTS TO THE FOSTER PARENTS

Johnson Children’s Services will have full support and training available to all Foster Parents

More Information available in the Policy and procedure manual

SLIDING SCALE PER DIEM Johnson Children’s Services believes in continuity or care and commitment to foster children. Johnson Children’s Services also believes a foster parent should be compensated for their commitment and their gained experience; therefore Johnson Children’s Services has adopted the sliding scale per diem. A new foster parent will start at the standard pre-diem for each child and increase their per diem by $1/day/child for every year of experience gained and by actively participating in Johnson Children’s Services training and support groups. There will be a cap of $62/day, attained after 10 years experience.

FINANCIAL PLAN

Per Diem Request for a New Foster care Program

Johnson Children’s Services Financial Budget for the operation year 2004 to 2005.

See Financial Budget overview for more information

JOHNSON CHILDREN’S SERVICES INC