What Is Treatment Foster Care?
Treatment foster care, also called therapeutic foster care, is foster care for children and teens with emotional, behavioral or medical needs that call for extra support. Children live with specially trained foster parents who work alongside a professional team, so they can heal in a family home.
How Treatment Foster Care Works in Virginia
In Virginia, children in foster care are in the custody of their local department of social services. When a child needs more support than a traditional foster home can give, the department can place them in treatment foster care through a licensed child-placing agency like Intercept Health. The agency recruits, trains and supports the foster family, and the child's team works together on a plan to help them heal and move toward a permanent home.
Treatment foster care is one of the main ways Virginia cares for children in foster care. In fiscal year 2020, 3,225 children and teens received treatment foster care through the state's Children's Services Act, and about 60% of Virginia's children in foster care were placed in treatment foster homes through licensed agencies.
Who Treatment Foster Care Is For
Intercept Health's treatment foster care program serves children and teens, from newborns to age 18, who have emotional, behavioral or medical needs. Many have experienced abuse, neglect or several moves between homes. Behavior that looks difficult is often a way of coping with what happened to them, and a steady, patient home helps them learn new ways to feel safe.
Teens especially need homes: about 38% of children in foster care are 13 or older.
Treatment Foster Care vs. Traditional Foster Care
Children served
Traditional
Children who need a safe, temporary home
Treatment
Children with higher emotional, behavioral or medical needs
Support
Traditional
Usually a caseworker from the local department of social services
Treatment
A dedicated agency case manager, a 24/7 on-call team and the child's therapy team
Foster parent training
Traditional
Standard pre-service training
Treatment
Specialized, trauma-informed training plus ongoing training
Foster parent's role
Traditional
Provide a safe, stable home
Treatment
Provide a structured home and take an active part in the child's treatment
What Treatment Foster Parents Do
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Provide a structured, consistent home with clear routines
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Work with the child's case manager, therapist and school
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Follow the child's treatment plan and share how the child is doing
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Support visits and connections with the child's birth family when that's part of the plan
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Keep learning through ongoing training
How Intercept Health Supports Treatment Foster Parents
Treatment foster parents never do this alone. With Intercept Health, you'll have:
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Pressley Ridge pre-service training and ongoing training
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A dedicated case manager
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24/7 on-call support from a team certified in trauma-informed care
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Access to mental health professionals and the child's therapy team
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Reimbursement for the costs of a child's care
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A community of Intercept foster parents
Intercept Health is accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA) and licensed by the Virginia Department of Social Services.
Could You Be a Treatment Foster Parent?
You need to be at least 21, live in Virginia, and be married or single (not living with a partner you aren't married to). You'll also need a safe, stable home with space for a child, financial stability, and a passed background check. Most families are certified in about 3 to 6 months. See every requirement and step on our Become a Foster Parent in Virginia page.