Services
Services Provided
~24 hour a day 7 days a week availability to foster parents, the
child in placement, and other agencies
~Extensive support, free ongoing monthly training, and free yearly
all-day workshops for foster parents and Debra Corn Agency, Inc. staff
~Low caseloads (10 children per case manager)
~Attend all school conferences.
~Individualized programming and service plans are developed for all children per state Case Plan
~Coordination of all available and appropriate services on behalf of the child
~Documentation by the Case Manager of all home visits, contacts, phone calls, and correspondence made and received in regard to the child
~Attend Case Reviews and Court Hearing with report submitted prior to hearing.
~Supervised visitation depending on agreement made with the Department of Child Services
~Keep a “lifebook” for each child in placement
~Availability for Child and Family Team Meetings at the request of the child’s family.
~Provide respite care as needed
~Weekly consults between Debra Corn Agency, Inc. case manager and Supervisor to discuss child progress and foster family concerns.
~Monthly contact between therapist and Debra Corn Agency, Inc. case manager to discuss the child’s progress
Levels of Care:
Debra Corn Agency, Inc. has a care system consisting of five levels. A level of care is recommended after taking in to consideration: the child’s reoccurring significant behaviors; the special needs of the child; the educational needs of the child; and the care, consideration, and coordination required for the placement to succeed. The five levels of care are:
Level 1 - Regular Foster Care
Level 2 - Special Needs Foster Care
Level 3 - Specialized Plus Foster Care
Level 4 - Therapeutic Foster Care
Level 5 - Intensive Foster Care
Independent Living Services:
Independent living services for youth in placement are designed to assist the adolescent (ages 16—21) in preparing for independence and/or emancipation. This program uses a team approach to provide real life learning experiences and hands on activities to help prepare the adolescent for living on their own successfully. The teen, foster parents, case manager, and the county having wardship work cooperatively toward this goal. The foster parents receive their own training to assist in this process.
At age 16, all teens in placement begin completing an Ansell-Casey Life Skills Assessment annually, to document the youth’s progress. A summary is provided that includes a specific description of the youth’s strengths and skills needed in areas such as: communication, career planning, daily living skills, home life, housing, community resources, money management, self care, and work and study skills.
An individualized Independent Living Learning Plan is developed, with the teen’s participation, to build on the teen’s strengths and cultivate growth in areas needing improvement. Close attention is paid to school credits and educational achievement goals. At specific intervals, concrete objectives are addressed as the teen continues to work on progression from semi-independent living to independent living. The emotional obstacles to emancipation are also addressed through cooping skills training.
Adoption Services: These services are available to:
Foster and Kinship Care Families
Foster/Adopt families
Pre-adoptive families
That are referred through the Department of Child Services
Family Preparation Services
Services will include but not be limited to:
Completion of the home study process as required by the Department of Child Services which includes but is not
limited to: home visits, background checks, eco-maps & genograms, and reference checks.
Helping the family determine what type of child will be the best fit for their family
Address the family’s feelings about adoption
Helping them put supports in place prior to the arrival of a child
Presentation of the family at SNAP meetings
Child Preparation Services
This service is to assist the local Department of Child services in assessing the adoption readiness of children in
the custody of the State of Indiana.
Services will include but not be limited to:
Reconstruction of the child’s history
Preparation of a life book; this is a means of documenting the child’s life and allows the exploration of painful
feelings that need to be resolved.
Helping the child understand what adoption means
Helping the child explore their feelings and fears
Addressing grief and loss issues
Addressing loyalty issues
Supportive transitional services
Presentation of child at SNAP meetings
Pre/Post Placement and Post Adoption Services
Once a child and family have been matched the Debra Corn Agency, Inc. Lafayette will provide the following
services when referred through the Department of Child Services:
Respite care if needed by the child
Home based counseling
Group counseling
Adoption support group
Crisis intervention services
Participation in Child and Family Team Meetings
