We move families from crisis to safety, using a family-centered approach that facilitates the successful reunification of children and their families. We find safe, temporary homes for more than 1,200 children in foster homes across New York City and Long Island every day. Agency staff work with foster parents to meet each child’s needs – medical, therapeutic, educational, social – until he or she can be returned home. This care is coordinated through foster care offices located in Jamaica, Queens, and downtown Brooklyn as well as in Brentwood, Long Island.
Our Therapeutic Foster Care program provides a higher level of out-of-home family care for children with severe emotional and behavioral challenges who must live apart from their parents for a temporary period of time. Planning and services are provided for the child to prepare for living in a permanent home either reunited with the family, with a foster family or through adoption.
Our goal is to provide permanent families for children. When reunification is not possible, adoption services assist children placed in temporary foster care to secure a permanent adoption home.
Services
Families for Teens
Our Families for Teens program specializes in the teenage foster care population. We find foster families for teens and we work to move teenage foster children to permanent homes through reunification or adoption.
Rapid Assessment Unit
The Rapid Assessment Unit in our intake department provides intensive services for the first 60-90 days of the placement of a child. Our goal is to help reunite children with their families by providing comprehensive planning and services immediately
Permanency Plus
We provide both counseling and assistance to move foster children more quickly to permanency either through reunification with their family or adoption.
Medical and Mental Health
Children in foster care are provided with medical care at on-site medical clinics located in each of our foster care offices. We also provide mental health services at each of these locations.
Family Enhancement Services
SCO Family of Services has a historic commitment to working with birth families to resolve crises and restore their ability to care for their children. Because family engagement is key to our approach to foster care, we have been providing Family Enhancement Services since 1999. These services successfully engage birth families and play an important role in successful reunification, breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect.
Baby & Me
Through the creative use of developmental playgroups, Baby & Me promotes the nurturing attachments between parents and young children that are critical to the healthy development of children. The playgroups also help to forge connections between families from similar neighborhoods with the same-aged children. These supportive networks allow families to connect to one another to reduce parental isolation – a critical factor in child abuse and neglect
Visit Coaching
This program assigns individual coaches to work with families who have difficulties managing their mandated weekly visits. Coaches model behavior and act as mentors and advocates for the parents and the children. Parents begin to identify and meet their child’s safety related needs and understand the connections between their lifestyle choices and their child’s healthy development.
Homeward Bound
The goal of Homeward Bound is to facilitate successful reunification. Homeward Bound helps parents focus on their own experiences of being parented and how those past experiences affect their parenting of their own children. Linking the family to its home community, the program helps parents stay focused on their goals of getting their children out of care, getting a job, staying healthy and learning to communicate. Groups begin with a weekend retreat for parents and facilitators and include monthly “family” activities for children and all family members.
Becoming a Foster Parent
Open Your Home to a Child
Each year, SCO Family of Services helps find safe homes and caring families for children who have been placed in the foster care system. Our children range in age from newborns to older teens and need a foster family that is willing to open their homes and hearts. If you are interested in providing a home, we will work closely with you to match you with a child
Who Can Be a Foster Parent?
Foster parents are married, in committed relationships, single, separated or divorced. Some are working parents and some are homemakers. They reside throughout New York City and Long Island. Foster parents should be dedicated to the child, their family and to our mission. If you are 21 or older, have a stable income and have enough room in your heart and home, please call the SCO Homefinding Office near you.
We’re Looking for Special People to:
• Welcome children into their home
• Provide emergency care and respite support
• Care for newborns, adolescents, teen parents and their babies, sibling groups and children with severe physical and emotional needs
• Help children deal with the separation from family and friends
• Support the child’s contact with their birth family
• Become part of an SCO advocacy team dedicated to helping children and families in need
You’ll Find Support, Encouragement and Resources
As an SCO foster parent, you’ll receive dedicated support from our staff including:
• Orientation and training
• Monthly financial support
• Family counseling
• Medical, dental and mental health services
• Tutoring
• Frequent in-home contact from SCO staff
• Special celebrations
• “Mentoring” from experienced foster parents
• Adoption assistance
• 24-hour access to SCO staff
Getting Started as a Foster Parent
A dedicated homefinder will be assigned to help you through every step of the process. Your homefinder will:
• Create a profile to determine the child who will fit best in your home.
• Coordinate the placement and welcoming of the child into your home.
• Provide ongoing support and training to assist you with your new family
In addition, you will:
• Attend an orientation to introduce you to our foster care services.
• Participate in trainings that will prepare you for your new child.
Foster parents often adopt the children in their care; if this becomes an option, we will assist you with the adoption process.
If you are 21 or older and have enough room in your heart an home, fill out our online pre-qualification form.
