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Foster Care & Adoption
Grady Family

Foster Care & Adoption

Criteria

  • Must be 21 years or older
  • Compensation: $48,000/Year, Tax Free

Professional Foster Care was created for youth exhibiting complex social, emotional and behavioral needs. Professional Foster Care serves youth aged 6 years or older with backgrounds of trauma, delinquency, behavior disorders, or significant attachment challenges. A Professional Foster Parent accepts the placement of a child who would otherwise be placed in a higher level of care such as a group home or residential treatment center. This is different from a general foster parent position.

A minimum of one-year experience as a foster parent or kinship care provider.

OR

A minimum of one year of experience working with or parenting youth with complex behavioral and mental health challenges. Strongly prefer past work experience in residential treatment centers (RTC).

OR

A college, vocational, technical or advanced degree in the area of a youth’s treatment needs, such as mental health, nursing, medicine, social work, or psychology.

and

Work or personal experience for which you have demonstrated the knowledge, skill, ability, and motivation to meet the needs of a youth with a history of trauma and significant needs (e.g.: therapist, teaching, serving at-risk populations, etc.)

Duties

  • Provide direct care and supervision to a foster youth.
  • Implement procedures for behavioral crisis intervention (both verbal and non-verbal).
  • Plan and implement daily activity schedule and recreational activities; including trips to recreation centers, bowling, hiking, swimming, etc.
  • Oversee the health and welfare of the youth including:
  • Assisting youth with school related activities.
  • Attending doctor visits, Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings, Permanency Round Table (PRTs), professional staffing meetings for the foster youth as needed.
  • Managing in-home services as needed.
  • Administering medications as prescribed.
  • Communicating effectively with the youth’s team and report all concerns to the assigned 360 support worker
  • Keep foster home clean, safe and orderly.
  • Drive youth to appointments/programs/school. Mileage is reimbursed.

What you need to know . . .

This is a full-time position. Candidate must have at least one spare bedroom for a foster youth.

Must be able to attend 30 hours of trauma specific training, participate in a SAFE home study, pass a physical as well Colorado and Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks.

The ideal candidate…

We know there is no such thing as a “perfect” candidate – we’re all a work in progress and are growing new skills and capabilities all the time. We encourage you to apply for a position with us even if you don’t meet 100% of the requirements.

  • Superstar communicator – Able to communicate and listen well with youth, staff, parents, and the community.
  • Experience–At least one year of experience with youth who present with emotional/behavioral disorders and/or experience in child development, working with students, and/or working in a classroom environment. Residential experience strongly preferred.
  • Mindset – Compassionate, caring, resilient, empathetic, energetic, and flexible.
  • Compassion and Understanding – Skills in crisis management, flexibility, patience, and ability to maintain composure under stressful conditions.

Professional Foster Parents receive additional training and support beyond the training required for typical foster parents. Topics of this additional training include trauma-informed care, trauma-informed behavior management, training on the child’s specific diagnosis/identified needs, confidentiality and cultural responsiveness.

ARE YOU A PROSPECTIVE BOULDER COUNTY FOSTER FAMILY?

Read and reflect on these questions to find out whether you have what it takes:

  • I like kids and teenagers.
  • It’s okay if my kid doesn’t call me “mom” or “dad” or yells “you’re not my mom,” occasionally. Loudly.
  • I can handle hearing swear words.
  • I tweet or know someone who does.
  • Sometimes I laugh at situations that make others walk away in frustration.
  • I understand the importance of biological family connections in a foster child’s life and with additional training can facilitate those connections.
  • I remember doing dumb things when I was a teenager.
  • I know I will need help if I foster and I am eager to learn.
  • My family is often more like Ozzy Osborne’s than Ozzie and Harriet’s.
  • I know that I will not die if my grandmother’s teacup gets broken.
  • I have friends who are different than I am as far as race, culture, income, politics or other important things.
  • I am resilient and cool headed even in the face of frustration.
  • Thinking of teaching a teen to drive doesn’t make me want to cry.
  • I have done my own therapeutic work and have a therapist I can return to if my own issues are stirred up.
  • I know how to not take things personally even if they hurt my feelings.
  • Part of why I want to foster is because I know children who enter the foster care system need support and I want to be part of the solution.
  • I will support and encourage a youth’s spiritual or religious belief system even if it is different from my own.
  • I know I will need help if I foster and I am eager to learn.
  • If I have a partner, we are on the same page about fostering and parenting a traumatized youth.
  • I want to join a community of people who have fostered and support each other.
  • I have the capacity to see the hurt and trauma in a youth’s eyes and to be an emotionally-attuned support as they heal.
  • I’ve heard of TikTok, and I’ve used Instagram.
  • I know what sexting is, and I have some idea what to do if my kid does it.
  • I know how to fix a hole in sheetrock.
  • I like surprises.
  • I am willing to parent a foster youth according to their needs, even if they are 17 years old and sometimes needs to be parented like they are 12.
  • I’m intrigued with the idea of getting to know a foster youth’s biological family; and I can support their efforts to navigate those complicated relationships.
  • I know what SOGIE means or will go look it up.
  • I know that I will need help if I foster and I am eager to learn (yes, we realize this is listed 3 times…get the point?).
  • I know how to say “no” in the face of extreme pressure. Often, I say “yes.”
  • I like hugs but can live without them sometimes.
  • Music is okay even if I cannot understand a word they are singing.
  • I have a network of friends and family who will support my plans to foster a Boulder County youth.
  • I have been stubborn or pushy.
  • If you answered “yes” to most of the statements above, you just might be a good fit for fostering through Boulder County. Learn more about our process or contact us.

Contact Us

Three60° Family Support

Phone: 303-441-1081
Fax: 303-441-1289
Submit a question

Boulder

3400 Broadway
Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F

Mailing Address
3400 N. Broadway
Boulder, CO 80304


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