Family Foster Care

Youthville has one of the largest and oldest family foster care programs in the state of Kansas. Youthville provides all services necessary to support our foster families including:

• An assigned advocate to assist in navigating the foster care system
• 24-hour on-call support
• Free on-going training and support meetings in a variety of areas
• Regular communication regarding the children in care and contact with the foster family in their home
• Liability insurance coverage
• Assistance with setting up other support services and resources as needed
• Paid daycare for working parents
• Health insurance coverage for children
• Property damage reimbursement
• Monthly stipend to provide for children in care
• Mileage reimbursement
• Other financial incentives

Foster parents provide basic care for children such as shelter, food, clothing, and medical care. They also provide nurturing and discipline. Foster parents provide all the things any parent would provide to a child. In some cases, foster parents support and mentor the birth parents by working together as a team to rebuild the family.

When children have special needs, foster parents also provide increased support to the child. This typically includes modified routines, increased supervision, and individualized parenting techniques. Youthville staff offer additional support to foster parents caring for children with special needs. This includes additional training, visits to the home for support, and financial compensation. For children with the highest needs we provide in-home services on a weekly basis.

Foster parents are part of the child's professional "team," which includes the child's birth family, Youthville staff, teachers, therapists, doctors, and others. Over the years, we've worked hard to provide the kind of support that foster parents tell us they value most. This includes maintaining close communication with the foster family, keeping information current, being an advocate for the families, and respecting the vital role they play in the lives of the children in their homes. This support is key to the relationships we have with our foster families.