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Welcome to Rainbow Youth and Family Services!
Children need positive role models they can identify with to demonstrate satisfying and productive lifestyles. Living within a healthy family is the best way to provide that training. This agency was founded in response to the shortage of foster homes, and particularly the lack of culturally appropriate placements for ethnic minority children.
Children may think something is wrong with them when their relatives or families of their own ethnic group can't provide care. When young, or accustomed to abuse and neglect, they have no idea why they aren't home. They worry about their little relatives who are often left behind, or placed in other foster homes. The child who reported the abuse feels responsible for the family breakup and for being taken away.
Children in foster care have lost everything. This is like moving to another city alone and having the company lose all of your possessions, even your address book is gone. Sometimes caseworkers can't permit contact without risk to the child.
Fostering is a true act of love if done right, you meet the needs of the child without expecting the child to meet your needs. Foster care is temporary care. One day at a time of quality care to build healthy bodies, attitudes, hope for the future, and good life skills. Children often refuse to form attachments if mistreated or moved too many times. They hurt our feelings and drain our energy. Some are forth or fifth generation to be placed out of the home. We only have a short time to break these cycles.
The children come with "bad habits" they used to survive. If they have been battered they may lie. If they have been hungry they may steal or hide things. We can't judge, we aren't sure they won't need those skills again to stay alive. We have to find ways to teach constructive behaviors in safe situations, and help children to tell the difference. Sometimes we think we let these children down or they don't care about us. We find out years later we taught them something that made a big difference and helped them out.
As we teach the importance of family, they want their own family to get well, dreaming "real" parents or relatives will come for them. The caseworkers job is to help the "other" family recover. If they are successful the child will get to go home, if not, the child may "get to" stay with us. We help the child understand their parents may love them but be unable to provide care. We cannot put those other parents down. When the child is expressing grief or anger, we respect the child's emotions and support without judgment. The message we convey is we believe in the child and the child's abilities.
Sometimes we cannot connect to meet their needs. Sometimes we come to love them and they are taken away with little explanation, a "temporary child" might never leave! Not every family has motivation and flexibility to handle changes. It takes a strong ego to deal with a child's rejection, or to say, "I'm stuck and don't know what to try next". We are your agency, we will be available to talk things through and help figure out ways to meet the child's needs. We will listen to you, share your concerns, hard times and victories.
If the child is fortunate enough to be in therapy, we provide training on supporting the therapeutic process. Learning as much as we can about the child's background and listening to the behaviors and situations you describe, we help you understand and support the healing.
Yes, you will be asked to fill out forms that seem senseless. The questions are designed to help us understand your background and interests . Basically the questions are the same ones you would want answered if your own child was going to someone else's home. We want children whose needs you can meet and also enjoy to be part of your family for fostering. Foster payments cover the child's expenses, no one really fosters "for the money".
In your packet you will find a check list of steps we will take together toward licensure. We will try to accommodate your schedule to the greatest extent possible. The first step is to attend pre-service training, held monthly at our agency office. You will then be prepared to meet with our licensor in your home for a health and safety inspection and home study interview.
Fostering opens the door to exciting and rewarding opportunities. These children challenge you and enrich your life. It is like keeping a garden, the time and energy invested pays off. Sharing a loving environment is a wonderful gift for a child. Helping a child grow healthier is an opportunity to make a difference in the future of your community.
We look forward to working with you.
If you would like information about providing foster care, adoption or if you have questions please e-mail us a