Foster Parent 411

Welcome to the May issue of Foster Parent 411!

Happy May Foster Parents! I hope we have seen the last of cold weather as I am looking forward to green grass and blooming flowers. I want to take this opportunity to review briefly how children are placed in foster care. The five private agencies in West Michigan are sub-contracted to the West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC). It is the WMPC who facilitates and makes the final decision about which agency is assigned a foster care case.

Usually, this is done through a process called a CPN (Child Placing Network). Once CPS has plans to remove a child, they contact the WMPC, who initiates a “CPN” call. During this call, a representative from each agency is listening to the information about the child and reason for removal. Once the call is complete, agencies have only 20-30 minutes to contact families and identify a placement. If no placement is identified, the WMPC will assign the case on a rotating basis. As we only have 20-30 minutes to respond to the CPN call, it is VERY important that you call us back if we have left a message for you, whether you want to accept the placement or not. In addition, we typically have several calls out at once. So, the sooner you respond the more likely you are to receive a placement. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your licensing worker, their supervisor or myself.

Thank you for all that you do!
- Deb Disler, Licensing Manager

We celebrate the following families for their years of service!

Diane Lake - 30 years
Dana Scott - 10 years
Mary & Peter Vestergaard - 5 years
Kathy & Randy VanderStel - 5 years
Kevin & Anneke Huisman - 5 years

Thank you for everything you do!

Policy
R 400.9301 Maintenance.
Rule 301 (4) Before using a residential pool, spa, or hot tub, the foster parent shall ensure that the water is clean, safe, and sanitary.

(5) Children must be adequately supervised at all times around any water activity.

(6) If there is a residential pool, spa, hot tub, pond, or other body of water on the premises, rescue equipment shall be available at all times. There shall be an alarm on any exterior door that leads directly to the pool, spa, hot tub, pond, or other body of water.

Welcome to the newest staff to our foster care team!

Joshua Feister
Taniah Ingram
Jacqueline Carranza

SAFETY FIRST: Did you know the Fisher Price Rock N' Play has been recalled? To see a full list of newly recalled items, click here.

We reward families with $200 when they successfully recruit a family who becomes licensed as a foster parent or is approved to adopt. If you know someone interested in foster care or adoption, you can connect them with Lisa Puente at lpuente@dabsj.org.

♡ DABSJ is so thankful for our foster parents! ♡

We appreciate everything that you do for our kiddos.

Don't forget to use Foster Parent Central as your guide to all things DABSJ foster care! There you will find upcoming training's (like TIP or Verbal De-escalation), reading suggestions, and more!

Is there more you would like to see in this monthly newsletter? Let us know!