How to Choose a Foster Care Agency in Wisconsin

Choosing the Right Foster Care Agency in Wisconsin

Becoming a foster parent starts with one simple step: asking questions.

And one of the most important questions is this:
Who is going to support you once a child is placed in your home?

Because that answer will shape your entire experience.

What to Consider Before Becoming a Foster Parent

If you’re thinking about becoming a Wisconsin foster parent, one of the first steps is understanding what kind of fostering is the right fit for your home.

Every foster family is different, and the children in care have a wide range of needs. Taking time to think through your preferences will help determine the type of placements and the level of support you’ll need throughout your journey.

At CCR, we work with individuals and families living in counties across Wisconsin who want to foster children and teens with higher levels of need, including sibling groups and youth with trauma histories. We rarely need homes for babies and toddlers, unless they are part of sibling groups.

The Process Should Feel Clear, Not Complicated

Getting a foster care license in Wisconsin includes some core steps: background checks, home visits, references, training, and paperwork.

At CCR, most families complete the licensing process in about four months.

It’s not supposed to feel overwhelming. You should feel guided, prepared, and supported from the very beginning. If communication is slow or unclear early on, that usually doesn’t improve later.

When you contact CCR, your first conversation will be with Jane. She’ll put you at ease, answer your questions, and walk you through things you may not even know to ask.

boy with dog

Her goal is simple: to help you understand what fostering could look like for you and your family.

What Makes CCR Different

CCR is a treatment-level foster care agency. That means support isn’t occasional, it’s consistent and built in.

When you foster with CCR, you can expect:

This level of support allows foster parents to stay committed, and helps children stay in one home where they can begin to heal.

Support Is Not Optional

Foster parenting is challenging. There’s no way around that.

Without consistent support, it becomes overwhelming. Placements disrupt. Kids move. Trauma builds.

That’s why CCR is structured the way it is.

We don’t step in occasionally, we stay involved, every week, sometimes every day, because that’s what it takes.

What It Feels Like to Foster With CCR

You should never feel like you’re doing this alone.

At CCR, you’re part of a team that shows up, follows through, and stays consistent, for you and for the kids in your home.

Because when foster parents feel supported, they keep going. And when they keep going, kids have the chance to stay, stabilize, and heal.

Take the First Step

If you’re thinking about becoming a foster parent, start by having a conversation with Jane.

You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need the right support behind you from step one.

Learn more about fostering with CCR by exploring our website.

Or call and talk with Jane directly, she’ll answer your questions, and walk you through it, no pressure.

 

Treatment Foster Care for 33 Years - Happy Anniversary!

Three decades ago, a Wisconsin man with a generous heart saw a desperate need for change within the Wisconsin foster care system. Working in social services and mental health, he knew first-hand that kids needed more than basic foster care. He saw the outcomes and patterns of kids in foster care and knew he could be an instrument of change. Kids required mental health services and opportunities to promote healing, and no one talked about it!

He had a vision for a new type of Wisconsin foster care.

He got in his car with a map, pen, and paper. He went door to door in rural Wisconsin, asking folks to help. He sat in their kitchens and talked about trauma over cups of coffee. He explained his vision. He explored his ideas with anyone that would sit with him. What is childhood trauma? What is it doing to our kids? What is his vision to combine foster care with mental health services? They listened.
 
It was a huge ask, but he knew if he successfully recruited just a few families together, they could quickly generate results and positive outcomes. They responded. Thirty-three years later, Community Care Resources is one of Wisconsin's largest and most highly respected treatment foster agencies.

Thousands of Wisconsin foster children have flourished.

Since 1989, thousands of kids have reunited with their families, many have found forever families through adoption, and so many have healthy connections and mentors to hold on to into adulthood. Most importantly, thousands of kids have healed because of the passion and dedication of hundreds of foster families and dozens of employees.

Within the agency, there are five supervisory positions. Each of the five has been with CCR for over 20 years! That dedication and leadership cannot be compared with any other Wisconsin agency. Their commitment to Community Care Resources runs deeper than any "job." This is family. This is home.

In social services, longevity is not promoted because it rarely exists. It is one of many things setting CCR apart from other foster agencies. Clinical Case Managers working in the field with foster families and children average an astounding 16 years with CCR. The common denominator is evident to all. Employment statistics like these don't just happen. They are nurtured. They are valued.

One of the building blocks set in place from the start back in 1989 was honest, transparent communication. That philosophy remains today. If foster families feel supported and heard, they will stay. The first family ever to license with CCR is still fostering teens! They have welcomed over 100 Wisconsin children into their Jefferson county home with open hearts. Their trust and belief in one man's vision over 30 years ago catapulted them on a life-long journey.

The dream of one man is sometimes all it takes.

There is no joking on this first day of April. Just a day and a blog space to publicly acknowledge a humble man that has helped so many. The entire CCR family congratulates Dan on an incredible 33 years of serving families and children. Your vision to combine mental health services with foster care has impacted countless lives.

 

3 Things to Know About Treatment Foster Care

When a child enters the Wisconsin foster care system, they are most often placed in a licensed county foster home unless placed in the home of a relative. If a child is part of a larger sibling group, they may or may not be placed in the same foster home as their siblings. Placement is dependent on available foster homes that would meet the needs of the child at the time a child enters foster care. Many county homes are not suited to care for more than one child or children with significant trauma. In part because the necessary training and support are not available to foster parents which equip them for the challenges that come with trauma. Quite often a child’s emotional, behavioral, and functional needs are not fully known upon the initial placement. It can sometimes take months for a county foster parent and/or placing foster agency to learn the depth of trauma, the significance of delays, and the full effects of a child’s abuse or neglect. When trauma is recognized, discussion of treatment foster care may begin.

When is Treatment Foster Care necessary?

After the needs of a child are determined and if the child is in need of additional care above what a county foster home can offer, the child may be referred to treatment foster agency like Community Care Resources. In the state of Wisconsin, over 20% of children in foster care are placed in treatment foster homes. Treatment foster care offers children with significant trauma a safe environment where healing can begin to take place and foster parents have the tools to properly care for children. Foster parents are highly trained in trauma-informed care and participate in the child’s individualized treatment plan. Characteristics of children in treatment foster care might include the following:

Trauma Informed Care – If you want to become a foster parent for children with significant trauma, there are specific foster care qualifications that must be met. In addition to the 6-hour online training required by Wisconsin, there are 30 hours of classroom training required. The majority of Wisconsin foster agencies require this training within the first two years of getting a foster license. CCR requires this training to be complete PRIOR to issuing a foster care license. The focus of our 30-hour foundation training is trauma-informed care. Providing new foster parents with the tools to care for children with significant trauma is imperative to a successful placement. Some of the training topics covered are:foster care qualifications

Visit our foster parent training calendar for upcoming training opportunities.

How are treatment foster parents supported?

Professional Support – The world of social work and child protective services is filled with high employee turnover. The opposite is true at Community Care Resources. Our Clinical Case Managers average an impressive 15 years of employment. Compare this to a national average of just over 2 years and the revolving doors in most foster care agencies and you will understand our dedication to foster parents, children, and families.foster parents treatments

All CCR foster parents receive a weekly in-home visit by a Master's level clinician and have access to our 24/7 hotline. Each week, a Clinical Case Manager visits with foster parents to review the week's happenings, problem solve, find solutions and support the foster parent in any way needed. CCR provides the support foster parents ask for and need, NOT what we think our foster parents need. These in-home,  personal visits are critical for foster parents to understand the behaviors and emotions of their foster child and provide an opportunity to express frustrations, ask questions, and get the help and support they deserve. Having a dedicated professional to lean on is why CCR foster parents are able to successfully help their foster children heal from significant trauma. Most foster children have struggled in previous placements, have bounced from house to house, been separated from siblings, or have struggled to build and maintain healthy relationships in the foster home. Most often, it is simply because foster parents lack trauma-informed care training and support services, NOT because the child is too difficult or unmanageable.

Treatment foster children require foster parents to have a flexible schedule

Matching children and foster families – The need for additional treatment foster homes in Wisconsin continues to grow at an alarming rate. As more and more children and sibling groups are referred to treatment care by their county agency of origin, there just aren’t enough homes to provide the necessary care and supervision. Over the past 20 years, it has been increasingly difficult to recruit treatment foster parents with flexible schedules. Foster parents must be available to their kids before and after school, on school breaks and over summer vacation. Many require additional supervision and require consistent weekly routines. Weekly visits and biological family visits are held during normal business hours. Medical appointments, therapy visits, continued education opportunities are also held on weekdays. For many Wisconsin households, this kind of availability isn’t possible, however, it is a foster parent requirement that CCR does not waive.

CCR staff does a thorough job of educating prospective foster parents on the rewards and challenges of the kids in our care. Some families we speak with will choose to license with their county to foster non-treatment kids not understanding that treatment level kids are prevalent in the county system. The odds that a county foster family will accept a “treatment level” child and not know it is high. The family will discover weeks or months into the placement that the child might be best served in treatment level care. An overwhelmed foster family will give written notice to have the child removed and the child bounces to yet another foster home compounding their trauma. Until the child is properly assessed, he or she will not receive the care and treatment they deserve and require to begin healing from their abuse and/or neglect. Sadly, many kids will continue to be separated from their siblings or remain in county foster care because their needs are never recognized or properly assessed.

The need for homes is great. The rewards of fostering are greater!

Foster parents are welcome to express their preferences when it comes to age, gender, behaviors, etc. CCR honors the requested preferences to help ensure successful placements. Families who choose to provide treatment care can have an enormous impact on the lives of children. They can watch children grow, heal, learn and thrive. Many can watch healing happen just by uniting siblings into one safe, healthy home. It takes a tremendous amount of patience, resilience, flexibility, humor, and love to be part of treatment foster care. CCR currently has foster families in over 30 Wisconsin counties, serving over 115 children. The need for additional foster homes is great. The rewards of being a foster parent are even greater! You can be part of the healing and offer a child a future of hope and promise. Learn how to become a foster parent in Wisconsin with CCR

GET YOUR FOSTER LICENSE IN 100 DAYS! Homes for kids 10-18 are desperately needed.