Babysitting Certification Collaboration

Thanks for your interest in collaborating with others to provide a more efficient on-ramp for people to support foster families! We hope that you find this packet of information helpful, but please reach out to Sarah@fosteringhopeaustin.org if you have more questions.

We kept this document as an editable word document, because we want other regions to replicate the model and use our materials to avoid reinventing the process, but we always appreciate credit for the work we have done!

If you are an agency representative and you would like to observe the May 6 training, you may register to observe for free at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/may-6-babysitter-training-observation-tickets-32511193856

Objectives for this Babysitting Collaboration:

1. To provide a more efficient and clear process for people to become babysitting certified through more than one agency

2. To increase the support system for foster parents with babysitters and people who can help provide transportation

3. To make it easier for friends and family members to become babysitters so that children can have the familiarity and trust of staying with someone who knows the family

4. To increase the number of foster families as people become more familiar with the children and the need

Table of Contents:

Memorandum of Understanding Sample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Timeline of Collaboration to Training Day . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 5

Sample Budget . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Requirements List As Received by the Certification Registrants . . . . .7-11

Joint Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

Background Check ONLY application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14-15

Training Day Schedule. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Trauma-Informed Care Training Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Psychotropic Medicine Training Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Transportation Training Outline and Video Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Home Safety Checklist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

DFPS Discipline Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-25

Paperwork Guides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-29

FAQs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30-31

Getting Started and Lessons Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Foster Family Short-Term Childcare Collaboration

Memorandum of Understanding SAMPLE

January 2017

Stated Problem and Solution

The recent Foster Family Gap Analysis, completed by Mission Capital as part of the Travis County Collaborative for Children on September 2016, showed several barriers to providing adequate and quality care for our children. One stated problem was that there was not enough support for foster families and short-term childcare for children was very difficult to find. The second issue highlighted in the Analysis was that there is great need for more foster families.

It is the desire of the Adoption Collaboration to work together to solve the issue of not enough short-term childcare providers with a streamlined and multi-agency childcare certification process.

Participants in the Short-Term Childcare Collaboration are:

Arrow Child and Family Ministries, Circles of Care, Child Protective Services, Depelchin, Helping Hand Home, Pathways, Presbyterian Childrens Home and Services, Settlement Home, SAFE Alliance, STARRY, and Fostering Hope Austin (FHA).

Steps to Implementation

Each Child Placing Agency agrees to:

Accept the joint application and the listed requirements for each childcare provider as previously agreed upon

Run and keep up with background checks as appropriate with each childcare provider

Accept the trauma-informed training provided by Fostering Hope Austin and the online classes as previously agreed upon

Provide an appropriate staff member as needed to be present on Training Day

Understand that other agencies share these childcare providers and are also completing background checks on them

Communicate and collaborate with other CPAs in the partnership and Fostering Hope Austin

Allow the childcare providers to babysit up to 72 hours either in the childcare provider home or in the foster familys home

After the completion of the Training Day, the childcare providers must be managed within the CPAs normal procedures

CPAs will not require additional documents or procedures of the childcare providers once they complete the joint certification process

Child Placing Agencies and Fostering Hope Austin agree to:

Share with foster families that the joint certification is available so they can share it with potential childcare providers

Promote and recruit from partnering churches, other organizations, and announce the

Training Day on social media

Promote the short-term childcare training to people who might not be ready for fostering

Fostering Hope Austin Agrees To:

Coordinate and Execute Training Day

Communicate paperwork requirements and provide assistance to registrants BEFORE attending the one-day training so they can obtain pre-training day requirements such as:

Fingerprints

References

Photos of home, pet vaccination records, etc

Preparation for TB and CPR Training on May 6

Secure location, childcare and lunch for registrants

Provide two hours of trauma-informed care training (Utilizing TBRI)

Compassion building

Overview of kids from hard places

Trauma and the brain

Understanding the why behind behaviors

Playful engagement, choices, and compromises

Smooth transitions from foster family to childcare provider

Coordinate CPR/first aid class for the Training Day and TB testing options (potentially on-site)

Secure additional funding to offset the costs for the attendees, FHA administrative costs, childcare, and materials

Measurable Outcomes:

The childcare collaboration anticipates an increase in the amount of available childcare providers for foster families

At least 50-75 new childcare certifications completed each Training Day

Foster families will report feeling more supported, content, and ultimately continue to foster longer

CPA caseworkers will report more satisfaction with their work because they can offer more support for their foster families

Childcare providers decide to foster after trying out short-term childcare

Duration:

Fostering Hope Austin introduced the short-term childcare project to the Adoption Collaboration in September 2016 and will continue to facilitate, coordinate, and promote the childcare collaboration through September 2017 with the continued support and unity of the Adoption Collaboration agencies.

September/October 2016

Collection of all agency requirements for short-term childcare. CPS licensing verification made regarding background check procedures for a multi-agency certification

November

Common application and overview presented to Collaboration

December

MOU Reviewed

January 2017

MOU Signed. FHA prepares promotional materials and registration.

February

Registration opens. Registrants begin fingerprint process and reference letter collection

May 6th

1st Training Day

May

Feedback collected and adjustments made

September

Possible 2nd Training Day

This MOU can be modified at the mutual consent of the Adoption Collaboration.

Arrow Child and Family Ministries

Child Protective Services

Circles of Care

Helping Hand Home

Depelchin Childrens Center

Pathways Youth and Family Services, Inc.

Presbyterian Childrens Home and Services

The Settlement Home for Children

The SAFE Alliance

STARRY

Fostering Hope Austin

Sample Budget and Staffing Hours to Facilitate Collaboration

Background Check fee

$43

paid by sitter

CPR class

$25

we negotiated 18.25/person and FHA received a grant for these costs

TB Test

$30

paid by sitter

RediClinic in the HEBs

copies, materials,

$20

rough estimate FHA received grant

$125-250/sitter or couple

50 Babysitter Total Costs

$6,250

Staffing Hours for Collaboration Facilitators

Joint Application Preparation and collection of requirements and consolidation of requirements

6-10 hours depending upon negotiations with agencies

TIC Training Preparation

2-3 hours

Training Day

6-8 hours

CPR, TB Clinic, Facility, Childcare, Hospitality coordination

10-20 hours

Promoting/recruiting/communications to 50 attendees

5-10 hours

Secure funding to lower babysitters' costs

5-10 hours

Management of Paperwork Guide Volunteers

10-15 hours