Training & Support
Become a Licensed Foster or Adoptive Parent in Connecticut through Boys & Girls Village
Boys & Girls Village is a state licensed foster care Recruiter, Trainer & Placement agency for Children in need of a Home in Connecticut due to abuse or neglect.
Boys & Girls Village also provides In-Home Support after a Child is placed.
For more information, contact Tiffany Shaw,
Toll-Free at (888) 922-5528,
or by email at shawt@bgvillage.org.
Licensing Information and General Requirements
All families providing foster care and pre-adoptive care for children in Connecticut are licensed or approved by the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Boys & Girls Village is among the private agencies in the Connecticut licensed by the DCF to recruit and train new foster parents, and to provide placement and in-home services for children in foster care settings.
Prospective foster care families must complete licensing requirements that include criminal and protective services background checks, attendance at nine group training classes (27 hours), cooperation with the home study process, home visits and interviews with all members of the household; references, a physician’s statement, and requirements having to do with the safety of the home environment.
Boys & Girls Village Programs
PRIDE Program: Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education
Boys & Girls Village and the state utilizes the Parent Resources for Information, Development, and Education (PRIDE) Program for the development and support of resource families. It is designed to strengthen the quality of family foster care and adoption services by providing a standardized, structured framework for recruiting, preparing, and selecting foster parents and adoptive parents. It also provides foster parent in-service training and ongoing professional development.
The PRIDE Program’s goals are to:
- Meet the protective, developmental, cultural, and permanency needs of children placed with foster families and adoptive families.
- Strengthen families, whether they are families of origin, blended families, extended or kinship families, foster families, adoptive families, or members of a tribe or clan.
- Strengthen the quality of family foster care and adoption services by providing a standardized, structured framework for pre-service training and mutual assessment; for foster parent in-service training; and for ongoing professional development.
- Share resources among public and voluntary child welfare agencies, colleges and universities, foster parent and adoptive parent associations, and national child welfare organizations.
Specialized/Therapeutic Foster Care Program
Private agencies including Boys & Girls Village have contracts with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide foster care HOMES for children ages 3-17. These foster care programs are called Specialized Foster Care and are designed for children whom have extraordinary psychological and medical needs. Specialized Foster Parents are trained and receive support via private agencies like Boys & Girls Village. A higher rate of monthly reimbursement is provided to the foster parent since the care, expectations and training exceed the expectations of general foster care home providers.
Our Safe Haven Home Program
In addition to recruiting, training and supporting foster care parents and homes, Boys & Girls Village also operates the Safe Haven “safe home” for children removed from their homes for the first time by the state or by court order. The Milford, CT-based Safe Haven safe home has 16 beds and serves southern and western Connecticut. It is licensed by the state Department of Children & Families (DCF).
Children and siblings living in the Safe Haven are evaluated and can be placed into foster care or returned home.
How Do I Find Out More?
Contact Boys & Girls Village
Tiffany Shaw
Assistant Director of Family Services
Toll Free: 888.922.5528
Email: shawt@bgvillage.org
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The Day School Program
