Northwood Children's Services
Celebrating 125 years of caring for children.
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THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE Therapeutic Foster Care is a unique, caring, and individualized program for young people whose special needs cannot be met in their own families, but who do not require the care of a residential treatment center. The term "special needs" may apply to any clinical problem or handicap - emotional, behavioral, medical, intellectual, or developmental. In addition to treating specific conditions, therapeutic foster care also seeks to promote a nurturing, healthy, "corrective", family living experience for the children it serves. The specialized skills and talents of the therapeutic parents are carefully "matched" to the individualized needs of each young person thus creating a unique family-based approach to community treatment. Length of placement varies according to the birth family. If reunification is not a viable outcome of treatment, foster care can become a permanent plan for the child. Services Therapeutic foster parents are professionally trained and have experience in working with special needs children. The therapeutic foster parents are supervised and supported 24 hours a day by licensed social workers. The foster family is viewed as the "treatment setting" with the treatment parents acting as the primary care givers for the child within the context of a specially developed treatment team. Foster parents implement the in-home portion of the treatment plan working closely with other professionals to coordinate optimum care. The design of the treatment plan for each child is carried out under the clinical direction of licensed mental health professionals. Each plan is reviewed and revised on a quarterly basis. Family Northwood is dedicated to serving the birth and adoptive families of children in the Foster Care Program, while emphasizing the involvement of children and families in treatment planning and decision making. Northwood provides family reunification services in cases where return home is planned. We actively work to support and enhance children's relationships with their parents, siblings, and other family members throughout the period of placement. Therapeutic Respite Care Services Northwood's Therapeutic Foster Care Program recognizes the need for regular respite care services within the community. Respite care services can be arranged as needed for children who do not require full time placement. Emergency/Shelter Foster Care Children may be referred for temporary therapeutic foster care services. Referral Process County social service involvement is needed for a child to be referred to Therapeutic Foster Care. Staff The program is overseen by Northwood's Therapeutic Foster Care Director. Psychotherapy services are facilitated by a licensed mental health professional. For more information about this program, please contact: Mel Winkler Northwood Children's Services Therapeutic Foster Care Program 4000 W. 9th Street Duluth, MN 55805 (218) 625-2646We are currently in need of foster care families. If you would be interested in becoming a foster family, or know of someone who might be interested, please contact John Ek at the above address. We offer
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