CenTex Service Tribe is the creation of it’s founder and CEO, Tina Richardson.  The Central Texas native has a passion for serving others and refers to those who share this passion as her “Tribe”.  The word “Tribe” refers to people who share a common culture or interest.  The common culture of CenTex Service Tribe, a Child Placing Agency for foster care and adoption, is putting Family First and restoring the Spirit of every child. 

Therapeutic foster care is specially designed to handle the demands of children who have experienced various types of abuse and neglect. Their emotional or behavioral problems require special attention and intervention. Therapeutic foster parents are people who have the ability to parent the more challenging child. Therapeutic foster parents get specialized training to help them work with these children. They also receive support and other services from CenTex Service Tribe to aid them in caring for these children.

CenTex Service Tribe also provides foster care for basic care children that do not have any special therapeutic needs. Our basic care foster parents are still required to receive the specialized training that Therapeutic parents receive.

Children who have experienced various types of abuse, abandonment, or who come from dysfunctional environments often have emotional and/ or behavioral problems. The symptoms of these problems can vary greatly. Children may be withdrawn and depressed, have problems eating, hoarding food, clingy, oppositional or defiant, tantrums, verbal and or physical aggression, lying, masturbation, bedwetting, nightmares, learning difficulties, etc. Some children may also have medical needs such as asthma or being a diabetic. These children can seem like beautiful, normal children much of the time, and the degree to which some of these symptoms are manifested varies greatly. Basic Care children do not have the emotional or behavioral problems that Therapeutic children have; although all children have minor to moderate problems at times.

Always. You and the CenTex Service Tribe social worker discuss the type of children that you are willing to and feel that you would best work with. This may include such things as age, sex, race, personalities, and presenting problems or behaviors such as those discussed above. If you and your CenTex Service Tribe social worker decide that a particular referred child will work well in your home a pre-placement visit is set up if possible to give you and the child an opportunity to meet each other and to get a “feel” on whether the placement would be a good one.

After this visit, you, the CenTex Service Tribe social worker, the child, and the referring agency jointly decide on whether or not to make a placement in your home. Don’t be afraid to say no to a possible placement. It is in everyone’s best interest to be honest about your concerns and wants.

It varies and depends on the case or situation of the biological family and other circumstances. Many of the biological parents get services through State departments they are involved with to help them get their children back. They may need to go to drug rehab, parenting classes, counseling, and/or get other housing. The average length of stay is one year, but may be shorter or longer. Sometimes, while the children are in foster care, the parents or biological family do not make the changes in their life to be able to provide a safe environment for the children and the State legally terminates parental rights and at that time the child is placed up for adoption. The amount of time it will take the child to be adopted also varies greatly.

Possibly. Sometimes foster children are not able to be returned to their biological parents nor is there any biological family that are appropriate for the child or who are willing to care for the child. Although family reunification is always the goal, it is not always possible. In these circumstances, the State goes through the legal process of terminating the parental rights. When parental rights are terminated this frees the child for legal adoption. Foster Parents can then apply to adopt the child.

CenTex Service Tribe pays the foster parents to help cover the cost of caring for these children. Children are assigned what is called a Service Package from an agency called Youth for Tomorrow. The Service Packages are: Basic Care, Moderate Care, Specialized Care, and Intensive Care. The Service Packages are assigned based on a number of factors such as: presenting problems and behaviors, how well the child functions when compared to other children, and what services they require, such as counseling services. CenTex Service Tribe works with Basic, Moderate, Specialized and Intense needs children. CenTex Service Tribe pays 27.07 per day/child for Basic Care,  47.37 per day/child for Moderate Care, 58.00 per day/child for Specialized care and 95.00 per day/child for Intense Service level. Children’s service levels are evaluated on a regular basis and their levels can fluctuate and change.

This payment is to cover the cost of lodging, food, clothing, school supplies, school uniforms, daycare (if needed), diapers (for infants and toddlers), over the counter medication, personal hygiene needs, recreation expenses, and such things as gas and other underlying expenses incurred in raising and caring for children. All foster children have federal medical coverage called Medicaid that will cover all their medical needs (prescription costs, medical procedures, surgery, hospitalizations) and dental needs, with the exception of more than 2 pair of glasses needed in a calendar year (Medicaid pays for two pair a year) or for more than 6 braces bracket repairs a year (Medicaid pays for 5 repairs a year). This payment is considered reimbursement and is not taxable, except in special circumstances. Always talk with and consult your accountant to help you determine if you must pay some taxes at the end of the year.

For certification as a foster parent or foster-to-adopt parent, you are required to obtain certain Governmental requirements and CenTex Service Tribe requirements. These include attending classes in First Aid & CPR, Psychotropic Medication, and Emergency Behavior Intervention (SAMA, PAPH, CPI). The medication class and Managing Aggressive Behavior class is provided to you by CenTex Service Tribe, and the CPR & First Aid class is either provided by or paid by CenTex Service Tribe. There are also other classes CenTex Service Tribe offers that you must attend on such topics as: Abuse and Neglect, effective communication, behavior management, and separation and loss.

You are also required to receive 40 hours of supervision/training from another therapeutic foster family before working with Specialized children/youth. You can work with Basic Care and Moderate Care children without this requirement. Volunteer or work experience with children who have emotional and/or behavioral problems may substitute for the 40 hours of supervision.

There are several other requirements such as receiving a Fire and Health Inspection on your home. CenTex Service Tribe currently reimburses you up to 75.00 for the required Fire and Health Inspection fees that are charged by the city or county departments who must conduct these inspections and $100.00 for a gas inspection if the residence has or uses natural gas. Everyone living in the home must also receive a TB test. CenTex Service Tribe currently reimburses up to $10.00 to have the TB test completed on the foster parents and any children living in the home under the age of 18. In addition, you must complete a Home Study with a CenTex Service Tribe social worker. The Home Study is giving background information on you and your family and CenTex Service Tribe assessing your ability to work with children and the types of children you would best care for. Car insurance as well as Renters or Home Owners insurance is also required to be carried.

CenTex Service Tribe normally certifies a family within 3 months. This period also depends on you and how quickly you can complete all the requirements. Some families take longer because of work schedules or other circumstances.

Yes. There are requirements for you to maintain your license. Foster parents have to receive 30 hours each of training per year. Psychotropic Medication and Managing Aggressive Behavior are subjects/courses that have to be re- taken each year and count toward those hours. For the remaining hours, CenTex Service Tribe provides each person/provider with a training fund of $250.00 per year for you to attend school, workshops, conferences, or seminars that pertain to mental health, social work, child development, and parenting. You are also allowed to obtain 12 of your annual hours through reading books or watching videos pertaining to children/child rearing, mental health, etc.

Your CenTex Service Tribe social worker will go over in more detail all the initial requirements to become certified/licensed and any ongoing requirements to maintain your license.

There is also required paperwork that has to be completed on the foster children. For example, anytime the child goes to any type of doctor the foster parents have to get the doctor to fill out a certain CenTex Service Tribe form that is used for record keeping in the child’s file. All medications administered to the child must also be documented on a CenTex Service Tribe medication log form, to be kept in the child’s file at CenTex Service Tribe. Many of the children are on daily medication and this has to be documented; verifying it was administered. Weekly progress reports must also be completed, charting the child’s progress toward their treatment plan goals or lack of progress.

Your CenTex Service Tribe social worker is there to help and support you, to ensure the child’s safety, and that the child is receiving everything they need. The CenTex Service Tribe social worker will monitor the child and your home and help with interventions or services the child may need. A CenTex Service Tribe social worker is always on call in case of emergencies. CenTex Service Tribe social workers are also there to help you stay within Government standards (requirements) regarding foster homes and the care of foster children.

When children first come into your care, they often have significant needs for such things as clothing. The CenTex Service Tribe staff will take and assess a child’s needs and may give the foster family a one-time, initial clothing allowance to help them buy clothes for the child/youth. After that, your daily reimbursement is there to help you buy clothes or school uniforms for children in your care.

CenTex Service Tribe also provides an annual $250.00 training fund for each foster parent. The foster parents can use these funds to go to training, conferences, or seminars that will teach/help them work with the type of children CenTex Service Tribe serves.

Since there are mandatory Government requirements for foster parents, CenTex Service Tribe helps you meet these requirements, such as medication training and managing aggressive behavior training, by providing these classes for you. In addition, CenTex Service Tribe also provides you with the training mentioned above funds to help you obtain your other required annual training hours.

CenTex Service Tribe holds a monthly support group in which foster parents get together and talk about their experiences caring for children and solve difficult situations together. This support group also helps with your health and well-being.

CenTex Service Tribe occasionally holds events to show you how much we appreciate you and allow all the families, children, and CenTex Service Tribe staff to get together and have some fun. For example, we may have a party, picnic, or an outing, such as going to a theme park.

It varies. CenTex Service Tribe receives referrals from State agencies regularly. However, it may take longer to place a child in your home depending on what is specified as the ages, gender, and behaviors you have the skills to work with and are willing to work with.

Your social worker will go over all this information and more during orientation and again during the licensing process. Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions.