Regular Foster Care

Tucson / Southeast / Maricopa County / Pinal County

A large number of Arizona children from birth to 17 years are removed from their families each year
These children are placed in foster care homes on a short-term basis until the issues that cause the family’s foundational breakdown and subsequent removal of the child from the home can be resolved and the family reunified
Many of these boys and girls come into the custody of the Department of Child Safety (DCS) due to acute safety issues in their homes and a lack of access to healthy lifestyles and well being
DCS works with Intermountain to access, train and support foster families who can teach, encourage and nurture children who have experienced challenging circumstances in their young lives
Behaviors vary based on each child’s family histories
Children requiring foster care often suffer from night terrors, bedwetting, temper tantrums and intense fear of punishment
Removed from their families under emergency circumstances, children may arrive at foster homes with limited personal belongings
Intermountain’s Foster Care Program provides children with a stable, supportive family and home environment while working with the biological family to reunite them when it is safe to do so

Children placed in these homes can have heightened emotional and behavioral needs that require more skilled parenting
In most cases, these children have been removed from their families and have lived in various group homes and/or more restrictive settings
Stability and safety are important needs for therapeutic foster children
Foster children look to their foster parents for structured but nurturing support and to learn how to be a part of a healthy family unit
Therapeutic foster children are taught skills to function in the community and develop self-esteem and self-worth
It is crucial that they learn to build positive life skills in the self-care, future planning, social, academic, leisure/recreational and community realms without the support of their biological families
Many children requiring therapeutic foster care come from a background of abuse and neglect
Each child and their foster family are assigned a coordinator to aid in problem-solving and behavior-management strategies
The goal is to transition each child into a family setting — to a DES foster family, adoptive family or biological family member for reunification