In addition to traditional foster homes, sometimes known as “regular” foster homes, Racine County licenses Treatment Foster Families.  Treatment foster care and Traditional foster care or two different programs intended to serve different populations of children.

Treatment Foster Care

Treatment Foster Care is a model of care that provides children the combination of a supportive home-setting of foster care and the intensive therapy of a residential treatment center.  Children are referred to treatment foster care to address their serious level of emotional, behavioral and/or medical problems. Therapy occurs in the foster home and treatment foster parents work together with the therapist to monitor progress and adjust goals.  Most children placed in treatment foster care have a history of previous out of home placements.  They most always have truancy, learning or behavior problems in school.  Most children in treatment foster are on medication that must be monitored regularly. Treatment foster parents receive a higher monthly reimbursement rate intended to cover the cost of food, clothing, housing, transportation, personal care, other expenses and Treatment foster parents are required to complete 36 hours of initial foster parent training and 16 hours of continued treatment foster parent training each year. 

Traditional Foster Care

Traditional or “regular” foster care is for children who require placement outside of their family due to abuse or neglect.  The primary reason for placement is the need for care and protection.  The foster parent takes on the role as the caregiver and nurturer.  The entire foster care reimbursement rate is designed to cover the costs of the child’s food, clothing, housing, transportation, personal care and other expenses.  Regular foster parents are required to complete the initial 36-hour foster parent training their first year of licensure, and 20 credits of continued foster parent training every two years.