What type of children do you serve?

• Ages 0-18; Boys and Girls

• Special Needs includes but is not limited to: over the age of 5, part of a sibling group, of an ethnic background.

• Children who have been voluntarily or involuntarily placed out of their caregivers custody through Children and Youth Services or Juvenile Probation.

• Each child receives a physical and, if beneficial, a psychiatric evaluation to assist in identifying their individual service and support needs.

What is the criteria to become a foster parent?

• Over the age of 21

• Willing to participate in annual evaluations that include:

  • Criminal, Child Abuse and background criminal checks for all household members over the age of 14.

  • FBI background clearance for all household members over the age of 18.

  • Home Safety Check

  • Physical Examinations

  • Reference Requests

  • Water Analysis

  • Policy and Procedure Reviews

  • Training

• Willing and able to transport child to all educational, medical, therapeutic and social recommendations.

What types of foster care do you provide?

• Therapeutic

• Emergency

• Respite

• Psychosocial Support

• Medical Support

What areas in PA do you serve?

Family Pathways attempts to serve families and children within an 1-2 hour radius of Butler.  Most children participate in weekly visitation at a supervising agency.  Family Pathways has current foster care contracts with the following County Children and Youth agencies:

• Butler

• Lawrence

• Beaver

• Crawford

• Armstrong

• Mercer

• Allegheny

How is training offered?

• Trainings are offered on site at Family Pathways with children’s activities in place for attending children.

• Local training opportunities outside the agency.

• Trainings can be individualized and tailored to the family’s placement experience.

• Processing information with the family worker that individuals may have learned through reading, educational programming and outside training opportunities.

How long does the certification/approval process take?

• Clearance background checks are typically returned within a month from the request.

• The caregivers are expected to have a minimum of 12 hours of training to become certified initially.

• Physical examinations, reference requests and water analysis must be completed; Family Pathways can assist with contacting the references and submitting a water sample.

• Typically it is a 60 day process

How long from my approval until a child is placed in my home?

• This is dependent on your matching criteria (gender, age, race, special needs).

• Can be time sensitive; Most placements occur the same day as the initial contact.

• Some placements provide an opportunity for visitation to occur prior to placement.

• The needs of the community are unpredictable - there is a need for families who can answer the call.

 How long is a child typically involved in foster care?

• When families are reaching out for help they have an opportunity to voluntarily place their children for 30 days.

• Children who are involuntarily placed and found adjudicated dependent typically reside in the child welfare system for 6-18 months while permanency is identified and secured.

Family Pathways will provide continued support for both the foster parent and the child / adolescent.

Please call Family Pathways at 724 284-9440.

Ask to speak to our Recruitment Coordinator.

Monarch Place

100 Brugh Ave ♦ Butler, PA  16001
Phone:  724-284-9440 ♦ Fax:  724-284-9441
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