Different Types of Foster Care

According to the Nebraska Health and Human Services System foster care is a safety service for children when they are unable to remain safely at home. Children are provided with a substitute or supplemental family life experience in an HHS (Health and Human Services) System approved or licensed home for a planned, temporary period of time. The parents of these children receive support in working toward reunifying their family or an alternate permanent plan for their child.

The primary goal for children in foster care is to return them to their families.
Foster parents have the responsibility of helping children and their parents achieve this goal.

Types of Foster Care

Traditional Foster Care* Providing for a child's physical, emotional, and social needs over a temporary period of time until a permanent living situation can be established. The support system includes a case manager from the Nebraska Health and Human Services System, but not the support of another child placing agency, like Christian Heritage. Foster Parents of this type work directly with the state case manager and are reimbursed by the state directly for care of these foster children. Very young children, ages 0 - 5, are most often in this type of foster care.

Agency-Based Foster Care The same as the previous type, however the child is in need of additional support systems. These youth are placed in a foster family and have a state case manager, however another trained professional is assigned to the youth to work with the foster family to incorporate and maintain goals and a service plan. Youth placed through Christian Heritage who remain in their foster homes for longer than 30 days will most likely be Agency-Based foster children.

Emergency Foster Care The availablity for immediate placement of a child on a 24-hour basis to serve children in crisis. This care can last a few hours to a maximum of 30 days. These children have been removed from their home by law enforcement or the courts and need an alternative place to stay while an assessment is made of the home situation. Christian Heritage workers will assist with the placement of and support of these children, but often little information is available at the time of placement. Calls will be made for placement at all times of the day and night.

Fos-Adopt When there is a possibility that the child may be available for adoption, the foster family accepts the child on a temporary foster care basis but will adopt if the child becomes legally free for adoption. Christian Heritage can and does facilitate adoption of kids into families through this type of foster care. All ages of youth are eligible for fos-adopt, but most common with children age 14 and under.

Respite Care Providing care for a child so that the foster parent(s) can take a break. Children placed through Christian Heritage often need respite care and this can be done in the home of a friend or relative, but background checks must be done first. Christian Heritage also places children from other agencies, or directly from the state, into licensed foster homes on a respite basis.

*Christian Heritage does not offer this type of Foster Care. This is done directly through the State.