Treatment Foster Care
Treatment Foster Care (TFC) is foster care with structured therapeutic support. Children placed in treatment foster care need additional support, because of the trauma they have experienced, along with possible emotional or physical challenges.
Treatment foster parents work with a team to create a home environment that is healthy and supportive, as well as intensely structured, in ways that benefit children with special needs, such as the following groups:
- Teenagers
- Sibling groups
- Youth transitioning from more restrictive treatment environments
- Developmentally delayed or medically fragile youth
- Youth who have experienced adoption disruptions and those needing permanent care arrangements
- Pregnant youth
Whether it is reconnecting separated birth families, creating a new family through kinship care, or introducing a child in need to his or her new adoptive family, UMFS can help.
Reunification services focus on returning children to their families. Services are provided to help set up a strong support system for all participants during the transition period and for up to six months of follow-up care. Children may be reunified with birth parents, next of kin, or extended family members.
If the plan for a child is adoption, UMFS foster families may choose to adopt or help the child transition to an adoptive family. Post-adoption services are available to foster families who adopt their foster children.
All UMFS regional centers offer training for persons interested in becoming foster and adoptive parents.
Fredericksburg: Training will be offered September 1-October 27. Participants must register in advance. To register, contact Terry Martin, 540-898-1773, ext. 13, or tmartin@umfs.org.
Northern Virginia: Participants must attend an orientation session prior to training. To register, contact Adrienne Tucker, 703-941-9008, ext. 308, or atucker@umfs.org. (Future training session options: September 7-October 26 and September 11-October 26.)
Richmond: Training begins September 7 and continues through November 11. Participants must register in advance. To register, contact Jean Hepburn at 804-353-4461, ext. 1451, or jhepburn@umfs.org.
South Central: Training will be held August 26 through October 21, 6-9 p.m.. Participants must register in advance. To register, contact Melinda Elliott at 434-757-1065 or melliott@umfs.org.
Tidewater: Training begins September 13 and continues through October 11. To register, contact Sheryll Green, 757-490-9791 or sbleil@umfs.org.
Orientations for prospective foster parents are hosted by each regional center on a monthly basis. To learn more, please contact the regional center in your area for specific dates and times.
Project LIFE is a partnership with Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) and UMFS. The goal of the project is to coordinate and enhance the provision of independent living services to foster care youth who are about to transition out of foster care.
