FOSTER & PROCTOR CARE

Proctor parents, also referred to as professional parents, are single individuals or married couples who provide care to children placed in their home. Proctor parents provide a home family environment, nutritious meals, companionship, guidance, and physical, social, and emotional care. Proctor care may be short term or for several years, depending upon the child's needs and his/her family. Foster parents come from all walks of life, single, married, retired, military, LGBTQ, etc. Foster parents may be legally married couples or single individuals (aged 21 or older). Couples who are not legally married are unable to be licensed. Same-sex couples are included in this requirement. Foster parents must be US citizens or legal residents. Foster parents and all persons aged 18 and older in the home must pass background checks. Foster parents need to be financially stable and able to support their family without assistance from the state. Foster parents need to be healthy enough to care for children, as determined by their medical provider. Foster parents will not be licensed to do both foster care and daycare at the same time.

If you are interested in becoming a proctor parent, we will meet with you and share information about our expectations and answer any questions you may have. You will never be without our support. There are state licensing requirements in addition to the Quality Youth Services screening process.

While foster parents can be homeowners or renters, there are physical aspects of your home that are important. In sum, your home needs to be clean, in good repair, and free from health and fire hazards. It also needs to have enough room for any children you intend to foster.

Foster/Proctor Care Proctor parents, also referred to as professional parents, are single individuals or married couples who provide care to children placed in their home. Proctor parents provide a home family environment, nutritious meals, companionship, guidance, and physical, social, and emotional care. Proctor care may be short term or for several years, depending upon the child's needs and the needs of his/her family. Treatment Foster Parent* Treatment foster care (TFC), also known as therapeutic foster care, is out-of-home care by foster parents for children and adolescents with significant emotional, behavioral, medical, or social needs. Therapeutic foster/proctor parents provide a highly structured home environment as an alternative to residential treatment facilities. *Approved by Together Facing The Challenge. With the support of a clinical team, QYS provides treatment foster care. Transition to Adult Living (TAL) Transition to Adult Living (TAL) is designed for male and female youth ages 17-21 who are transitioning out of a residential care setting. QYS Offers structured apartment settings within licensed foster homes. TAL is a 6-month program designed to motivate, teach skills, and help youth see successes. Respite Care Provider Are you interested in foster care but not ready to commit to 24/7? Respite care could be for you! Respite care is planned or temporary emergency care to give foster parents a break. Respite programs provide planned short-term. Respite care providers do the same certification process as foster/proctor parents and receive the same quality training.

To assure a safe and stable home for children in foster care, all families are required to meet some basic qualifications. Foster parents may be legally married couples or single individuals (aged 21 or older). Couples who are not legally married are unable to be licensed. Same-sex couples are included in this requirement. Foster parents must be US citizens or legal residents. Foster parents and all persons aged 18 and older in the home must pass background checks. Foster parents need to be financially stable and able to support their family without assistance from the state. Foster parents need to be healthy enough to care for children, as determined by their medical provider. Foster parents will not be licensed to do both foster care and daycare at the same time. ​While foster parents can be homeowners or renters, there are physical aspects of your home that are important. In sum, your home needs to be clean, in good repair, and free from health and fire hazards. It also needs to have enough room for any children you intend to foster.

Yes, foster parents may be legally married couples or single individuals (aged 21 or older). Couples who are not legally married are unable to be licensed. Same-sex couples are included in this requirement.

Quality Youth Services works closely with the Utah Department of Human Services: Child and Family Services and the Utah Department of Juvenile Justice. We work hard to improve the lives of the children in our care. The staff at Quality Youth Services work for youth and families, and we conscientiously try to do what works for kids the first time. We offer a team approach to focus on the entire system. Programming includes individual, family, and group therapy, medication management, psychosocial rehabilitation services, and other skills groups. Also, we provide mentoring, tracking, and transportation for the youth in our care. While we work with our youth, we apply a systems approach that focuses on treating the whole person within the system they live in when possible. ​ We provide Foster/Proctor Care and a Transition to Adult Living program for our youth.

A home study includes information about you and your family. A member of the Quality Youth Services team will meet with you, typically in your home, and discuss the following: Family background Disciplinary techniques Parenting approach Home and neighborhood Family routines Financial stability Health Education Relationships and social life Reasons for wanting to become a foster parent References and background checks How your immediate and extended family feel about you becoming a foster parent Identify support systems Walkthrough of home Identify the category of youth you would like to take, such as sibling groups, medically fragile, LGBTQ, teens, etc.

Quality Youth Services is a Child Placing Agency; we are licensed so that we can certify families. Foster/Proctor homes agree to work with the certifying agency.

In addition to state and federal training requirements, QYS provides training on following the essential components of Together Facing the Challenge (TFTC) that includes: Provides comprehensive training for both agency staff and treatment foster care parents in classes of 15-30 participants Builds a therapeutic relationship – recognizes the significance of the therapeutic relationship by exhibiting both verbal and non-verbal behaviors that include: Encouragement Showing a genuine interest Identifying common ground Having a positive attitude Being patient, understanding, consistent, and following through Explores trauma-informed care – identifies situations in which a child's traumatic past can impact their ability to form positive relationships; coaches direct care providers on alternative strategies for parenting traumatized youth Develops proactive parenting strategies to reinforce positive prosocial behaviors Teaches cooperation – can balance the use of implementing corrective discipline strategies and techniques within the context of a supportive and therapeutic environment Addresses thoughts, feelings, and behavior – demonstrates an ability to assist a child in recognizing, talking about, and dealing with difficult thoughts and feelings that emerge; helps the child to understand how their thoughts and feelings can impact their behavior Interrupts the conflict cycle – can identify conflicts that take place and demonstrates an ability to avoid power struggles and intervene by de-escalating the situation Utilizes problem-solving techniques - demonstrates an ability to use a problem-solving model to address a specific problem by defining it clearly, generating multiple solutions, and selecting the solution that presents as the best based on outcomes Promotes cultural sensitivity - explores and supports youths' different aspects of identity, including race, ethnicity, and culture; and assists parents with creating culturally sensitive home environments Teaches relevant life skills – demonstrates an ability to transform daily living activities into learning opportunities to assist youth in the development of independent living skills Takes care of self – can recognize the impact that stress has on their lives, the 'warning signs' that make them aware of it, and the specific strategies they use to manage their stress level while taking time for self on a regularly scheduled basis