The UC DCS serves children & families in 14 counties-Cannon, Clay, Cumberland, Dekalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, VanBuren, Warren, & White. We need community involvement & resource parents for teens & sibling groups.
Information
- Location:
- Cookeville, TN, 38506
- Phone:
- (931) 646-3000 or 877-381-8360
How can we make it easier for youth entering custody to adjust?
Don’t want them to be our friends (Resource Parents), we already have friends we really want parents we have never had those.
What works best for teens is structure. We need to know when we come into a home what you’re allowed to do or not do.
Need parents not friends that will cause problems. We need parents and not friends have plenty of friends
Need more homes that take teenagers and will help us and support us. Who will be there no matter what.
How can we be prepared ourselves to prepare the teenagers for adulthood?
We need the foster parents to teach us life skills like daily living stuff, cooking, cleaning, managing money, and parenting skills.
…Structure, support and loving family to teach us life skills. We will fail if we don’t know have these skills.
We need someone to fall back on…we need a fall back…where we can go when we make a mistake… We need someone we can call (after age 18) to say, “Mom/Dad I need you to…”
If we make a mistake help us don’t give up on us don’t turn your back on the youth.
I (foster children) feel I was given a second chance in society, need to establish a relationship with the family and we need support.
Need parents to show us how to be parents, some of us have babies or come into custody pregnant and have no clue have to take care of our children
Being in the court system and a foster child, what are some things that you need from DCS and the community?
Support and respect…to talk to us and explain what is going on, I did not know what was going on in my court case and felt like my opinion did not matter or was not wanted
The foster parents would talk about my case and my family in front of me and I wanted to forget it.
Community gossip if you were placed in your home county, the community gossip about my case they knew all about it. Trying to be foster kids and the then have the community know about your trial and what is happening to you is very hard, both kids and adults can be hard to deal with.
Don’t want them to be our friends (Resource Parents), we already have friends we really want parents we have never had those.
What works best for teens is structure. We need to know when we come into a home what you’re allowed to do or not do.
Need parents not friends that will cause problems. We need parents and not friends have plenty of friends
Need more homes that take teenagers and will help us and support us. Who will be there no matter what.
How can we be prepared ourselves to prepare the teenagers for adulthood?
We need the foster parents to teach us life skills like daily living stuff, cooking, cleaning, managing money, and parenting skills.
…Structure, support and loving family to teach us life skills. We will fail if we don’t know have these skills.
We need someone to fall back on…we need a fall back…where we can go when we make a mistake… We need someone we can call (after age 18) to say, “Mom/Dad I need you to…”
If we make a mistake help us don’t give up on us don’t turn your back on the youth.
I (foster children) feel I was given a second chance in society, need to establish a relationship with the family and we need support.
Need parents to show us how to be parents, some of us have babies or come into custody pregnant and have no clue have to take care of our children
Being in the court system and a foster child, what are some things that you need from DCS and the community?
Support and respect…to talk to us and explain what is going on, I did not know what was going on in my court case and felt like my opinion did not matter or was not wanted
The foster parents would talk about my case and my family in front of me and I wanted to forget it.
Community gossip if you were placed in your home county, the community gossip about my case they knew all about it. Trying to be foster kids and the then have the community know about your trial and what is happening to you is very hard, both kids and adults can be hard to deal with.
Teenagers will connect with you just like a little child will.
If you want to (be a resource parent) don’t think, just do it!
…because of you, I was able to lead someone to Christ (previous foster youth to the resource parent).
How can you not do it when you have an open room, a home…when God has given it to you?
It’s not just fostering a child; sometimes it’s fostering a family (in regard to working with the birth parents).
The child will always love the birth parent. That bond is always there.
The birth family needs respect too in spite of what they’ve done.
I was in foster care from age 7 to 18. I always knew I wanted to be a foster parent.
I’m there to support them (the birth family) as well.
Know the chain of command and be willing to go to the next person if someone’s not doing their job.
To be heard and seen as a key figure in the child’s life right now, we are the child’s primary caretaker.
Case manager or everyone to share information with the foster parents
Support us so we can make a difference in the youth’s life, be there when we get discouraged and need someone to talk to.
Celebrate and fellowship with the foster parents, communicate with us call us back and support us.
(Arrange for) More speaking engagements for the foster parents and DCS staff to pull in more foster homes and to let the community know what it is like to be foster parent and to show that these kids are good kids.
If you want to (be a resource parent) don’t think, just do it!
…because of you, I was able to lead someone to Christ (previous foster youth to the resource parent).
How can you not do it when you have an open room, a home…when God has given it to you?
It’s not just fostering a child; sometimes it’s fostering a family (in regard to working with the birth parents).
The child will always love the birth parent. That bond is always there.
The birth family needs respect too in spite of what they’ve done.
I was in foster care from age 7 to 18. I always knew I wanted to be a foster parent.
I’m there to support them (the birth family) as well.
Know the chain of command and be willing to go to the next person if someone’s not doing their job.
To be heard and seen as a key figure in the child’s life right now, we are the child’s primary caretaker.
Case manager or everyone to share information with the foster parents
Support us so we can make a difference in the youth’s life, be there when we get discouraged and need someone to talk to.
Celebrate and fellowship with the foster parents, communicate with us call us back and support us.
(Arrange for) More speaking engagements for the foster parents and DCS staff to pull in more foster homes and to let the community know what it is like to be foster parent and to show that these kids are good kids.
From http://www.state.tn.us/you
The Department of Children's Services maintains several requirements that must be met by persons interested in the foster care program.
Those interested must be able to:
• Give without the expectation of immediate returns
• Have room in your home and in your daily life
• Learn and use proven behavioral management skills
• Love and care for children with problems
Foster Parents can be:
• Single or married
• With or without children of their own
• Employed or not employed, but able to financially meet his/her own needs
• Must be in sufficient good health
• Should be 21 years of age
• Homeowners or renters
Because of the complexity of the critical role foster parents play, DCS carefully assesses all applicants. It also provides the opportunity for prospective foster parents to work with a case manager to assess themselves before they accept the role of foster parent.
DCS provides a 30-hour training pre service program PATH -- Parents As Tender Healers -- to all prospective foster parents. All potential foster parents must provide five references and will be fingerprinted and will have to undergo a complete background check.
Each potential foster parent daily participates in a home study that assists the department and the families in making decisions regarding the foster home approval process.
The Department of Children's Services maintains several requirements that must be met by persons interested in the foster care program.
Those interested must be able to:
• Give without the expectation of immediate returns
• Have room in your home and in your daily life
• Learn and use proven behavioral management skills
• Love and care for children with problems
Foster Parents can be:
• Single or married
• With or without children of their own
• Employed or not employed, but able to financially meet his/her own needs
• Must be in sufficient good health
• Should be 21 years of age
• Homeowners or renters
Because of the complexity of the critical role foster parents play, DCS carefully assesses all applicants. It also provides the opportunity for prospective foster parents to work with a case manager to assess themselves before they accept the role of foster parent.
DCS provides a 30-hour training pre service program PATH -- Parents As Tender Healers -- to all prospective foster parents. All potential foster parents must provide five references and will be fingerprinted and will have to undergo a complete background check.
Each potential foster parent daily participates in a home study that assists the department and the families in making decisions regarding the foster home approval process.
Upper Cumberland Department of Children's Services's Notes
What youth have to say about foster care...Aug 21, 2009
What foster parents say about parenting teens...Aug 21, 2009
How to become a foster parent (part 2)...Aug 21, 2009
How to become a foster parent...Aug 21, 2009