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Prior to reading different threads on here I had never heard of fostering children through an agency, I thought you had to do it through state foster care. I am new to all of this but have been reading like crazy on here trying to learn all I can. What is the difference between being a foster/resource parent in an agency or through the state?
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Depends on you state. In Texas you can be licensed by CPS or an agency. If you get licensed through an agency, the agency handles all of the non-court paperwork;daily updates, monthly visits, inspection of your home, continued classes to maintain license, etc. If you go through CPS, they handles everything including the court side. A long time ago, the state moved toward wanting to make licensing strictly an agency function and that would leave CPS with the other stuff, but that has not panned out the way they wanted. The idea was that agencies could oversee the day to day status of a home and CPS could handle the case workers and the legal side.
We were licensed through an agency when we started because the CPS workers at the info meeting told us to go that route because it would be faster. I don't know if it was faster, but I loved my agency. CPS had a bad habit of not returning phone calls from my agency when we needed information and I chalk that up to CPS being over-burdened and over worked.
Children are also supposed to be placed through Central Placing(where every agency and CPS placing looks for children that need homes),but I have found that families licensed through CPS tend to get placements closer to what they are interested in (such as babies).
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Here they are the same, or at least that is the gist I get. When I called the 800# to "inquire about fostering" I was given the local agency. When I asked for another number (had issues with the first agency) the person gave me a list of two other agencies. Never was DCFS mentioned. I think our state was encouraging use of agencies. DCFS still has oversight and has their own FPs, I think, I just don't know of any.
Difference? Not sure there is one in my state.
I'm a CW in Massachusetts. Here one of the big reasons people go through an agency is the reimbursement rates. All of our contracted agencies provide intensive foster care, and the rate is doubled. Many times though we use IFC homes for kids who don't really need that level of support. We just don't have enough homes. The agencies also typically provide more intensive support to families (i.e. support groups, more regular visit from the SW).
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