The purpose of REAL PEOPLE FOSTER AND FAMILY SERVICES Inc. is to build real relationships and to evoke real change with challenging children and their families. REAL PEOPLE will enhance the child’s journey with a shared (all invested parties) vision.
• The Therapeutic Program will focus on the needs of the children with specific attention to grief and loss support, based on the intensity of
their loss and their developmental need.
• The program will also identify and assist the unique support structure of each child by using assessments (Strength based / Soft Skill Assessments) and a holistic approach.
• When caring for real children the program will embrace diversity. By definition a holistic approach focuses on the “whole person”. Our vision for our wellness program is to cultivate a balance between Mind, Body and Spirit. In our model our Foster Parents will be aware of their health, stress level and most of all their self-care and reflective skills. Foster children will reap the benefits of the foster parent’s involvement in our wellness program, foster children may wish to participate in activities. We will assist Foster Parents and their families by providing training in some of the following areas:
• Self-care Training,
• Nutrition Education,
• Yoga, and Massage etc.
• Understanding Behaviours and Management Techniques
• Grief and Loss Healing
Our foster children will have experienced significant loss and crises and consequently may exhibit some of the following behaviours:
• Anti-social behaviours
• Dis-regulated expressions of their feelings (eg: aggression, cruelty)
• Personality Disorders (mal-adaptive patterns of behaviours)
• Lack of real relationships
• Arrested development (due to poor attachment and trauma)
These children are at risk of having multiple placements and some may require extra support. Our highly trained Foster Parents will have fewer numbers in their homes, support from our system and thus minimizing the risk of movement and placement breakdown. PHILOSOPHY
REAL PEOPLE FOSTER AND FAMILY SERVICES Inc. believes in building real relationships by evoking real change with challenging children and their families.
1. REAL is an acronym that we use to guide us in our philosophy. We will surround ourselves with people that:
R - can develop healthy Relationships
E - Empower
A - are All In
L - believe Learning is life long
REAL relationships will also give the opportunity for continued connection, post-care.
2. Numbers - We will always tend to keep foster children numbers low in our homes as we believe foster families need to connect in a real way with the new child. In the case of sibling referrals we will always focus on the needs of the children first.
3. Grief and Loss – With latency children and beyond, a consultation assessment will be completed for every client by a qualified therapist with a view to having it prepared for the 30 day Plan of Care. We also recognize that foster parents experience loss, i.e. when children return to natural family or a breakdown occurs. Many times foster parents have high expectations with their foster children and become frustrated (e.g.: FASD children).
4. Life Skills / Soft Skill Assessment Tool - This informal strength-based assessment will be able to assess their functioning capacity in regards to life skills, executive reasoning, and needs. The assessment approach will be individualized according to the child’s characteristics (age, ability, cooperativeness, awareness). A report will be generated within 30 days with a view to having it prepared for the 30 day POC.
5. Family Case Management - We believe in a Model that uses a sensitive non-judgmental approach, is strength-based, and uses wraparound logic. The Family Case Management Model will assist us in establishing healthy communication when we are seeking information from their previous Caregivers and Natural Families. This model will also embrace children and youth returning to their Natural Families or Kinship care and assist in their preparation for adoption or their long-term fostering needs
6. Holistic Approach - We believe in an approach that balances the Mind-Body-Spirit relationship. We believe that all Foster Families could benefit from this balanced approach. This will include (Diet and Nutrition, Therapeutic Recreation, Yoga, Naturopathy, Dance, Creative Art, Massage Therapies etc). Dr. Bruce Perry has spoken at great length about the virtues of holism and especially about dance, art and therapeutic massage programs. They directly impact traumatized parts of the brain, aiding positive growth.
7. Relationships: We believe in maintaining genuine relationships with children and parents. This also includes our colleagues (Ministry, CAS’s and other OPR’s) such that we will be able to draw upon a large pool of experience.
8. Academic and Social development – Real People will build real relationships with community schools. Appropriate enrollment into academic program/curriculum designed to meet the needs and abilities of each child including any specific behavioural or social/emotional concerns.
