Foster Care
Foster Care Services
Interested in Foster Parenting?
1-888-R-FOSTER
Email us at: FosterCare@communityyouthservices.org
Click HERE for information on becoming a CYS Foster Parent.
*Read below for more information on licensing and our program.
A Brief View of CYS Foster Care
CYS Foster Parents are voices in our community and in our program. CYS provides unique opportunities for our foster parents to share their stories and offer their perspectives. For instance, foster parent “round table” discussions are held approximately quarterly at CYS to provide our foster families with opportunities to share their feedback on the program and their experiences as foster parents, to engage in trainings, and to develop relationships with other CYS foster families.
CYS Foster Care is proud of our placement process, in which families are able to share their strengths and concerns with our Clinical Coordinator who collaborates with the family and other program staff to identify strong potential placements for the home. Efforts are made to ensure the family has an opportunity to learn about and even meet the youth (usually as a respite overnight) prior to formal placement. This results in better stability, longer placements, and higher success outcomes for our youth.
Community Youth Services provides Foster Care Services for youth who are 6-21 years old and are referred by Washington State’s Division of Children & Family Services. The program utilizes a strength-based, multi-systemic treatment team approach to provide home-, community- and school-based services designed to ensure placement stability, improve school functioning, decrease behavioral challenges, increase pro-social skills, and improve mental health. The program also recruits, trains, and licenses its own foster parents.
Services to Youth and Families:
- Case management services
- Behavior management support
- One-on-one training opportunities for foster parents
- Case aide services
- Respite care
- 24/7 crisis support
- Transportation services
- Pro-Social activities for youth (including hiking, snowboarding, kayaking, rock climbing, cooking, art activities, local classes, school sports, seasonal camps, etc.)
- …and more
Every youth in our foster care program is assigned a Case Manager who helps coordinate their care, ensuring consistent planning and support across all members of a youth’s team.
CYS Case Managers:
- Maintain small caseloads of only approx. 5-7 youth at a time
- Provide frequent check-ins with youth and their foster families
- Identify critical individuals in a youth’s life to form the youth’s Treatment Team. (These can include a youth’s foster parents, social worker, therapist, lawyer, school advocate or representative, natural supports, biological family, etc.)
- Hold regular team meetings to establish/review plans and goals for youth success
- Coordinate access to community- and school-based services (Individual Education Plans, mental health, etc.)
- Support families in navigating youth insurance issues, setting medical/dental/mental health appointments, and providing transportation to appointments when needed
- Assist youth in finding their individual path to success
Our youth:
- Range from 6-18 years old (or 18-21 in the extended foster care program) with an average age of approximately 13-16 years old
- Are in need of safe and stable homes that provide a consistent, patient, and compassionate atmosphere where they can gradually relax, learn healthy habits, and grow towards becoming successful adults
CYS Foster Families want to share their home and provide a supportive, nurturing family experience for a child or teenager. They are warm and understanding, have a sense of humor, and have flexibility to adapt to changing situations.
CYS is proud to license qualified, caring adults from diverse backgrounds. Our families are homeowners and renters, married and single, opposite or same gender families, and families who are culturally diverse. We accept youth and families for who they are.
Interested in Foster Parenting?
If you are interested in what you have read here and would like more information about becoming a foster parent, you can contact our Foster Parent Recruiter, Joyce Erickson, at 1-888-R-FOSTER or by email.
We are happy to answer any of your questions and help you decide if our program is a good fit for your family.