NET is committed to the goals of safety, permanency and well-being as the foundation of all child welfare practice. Ideally, children should be raised by their own parents or a close relative. When this cannot happen for short or extended periods of time, NET provides a continuum of placement options ranging from Resource Home Care (previously referred to as “foster care”) to a small group home for adolescents with more intensive behavioral needs. We recognize and support that youth should not be raised by “the system”. We also provide permanency and other services to facilitate reunification or, when that is not a viable option, adoption or permanent legal custody (PLC). NET’s Permanency Services have helped thousands of children and teens find safe, loving homes.
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- Foster Care
- Adoption and Permanency Services
- Henry House Group Home
Foster Care
General Foster Care
Foster Care, more recently referred to as Resource Care, is a placement service for children and youth ages 0-21 who cannot live with their biological parents. Services focus on ensuring the child’s safety while in care, securing appropriate services to promote the child’s well-being, collaborating to facilitate that a permanent living arrangement is secured, and supporting the resource caregiver to be a mentor to the child’s parent. The ideal goal is for children to reunify with their biological parents.
Specialized levels of Resource Care include the following:
Kinship Care
Youth are placed with relatives, friends or individuals previously known to the youth or family and who play a significant role in their lives. The service focus remains the same as in Resource Home Care. Kinship parents must meet all of the same requirements as resource parents and receive the same support.
Specialized Behavioral Health (SBH) Resource Care
Appropriate for youth with specialized behavioral health needs. SBH resource caregivers receive more intensive and specialized training, specifically in behavior management techniques and are expected to communicate with members of the treatment team. Youth appropriate for SBH are typically stepping down from psychiatric hospitals or residential treatment facilities. Resource parents must be able to provide the structure, guidance and support to help the youth continue to improve behavioral health functioning.
Mother/Baby Resource Care
Mother/baby placement services are provided to pregnant teens and teen mothers who are parenting young children. Resource caregivers provide support to help teach parenting skills.
Medical Foster Care
Medical Foster Care is appropriate for youth with specialized medical needs that can be met in a home setting. Resource Parents receive specialized training/certification including individualized training through hospitals or institutions designed to ensure that caregivers are capable of meeting the unique needs of a child placed in their home.
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Adoption and Permanency Services
Adoption and Permanency Services include:
Family Profile and Family Preparation Services
NET provides family preparation services and completes family profiles (home studies) on families interested in adopting a child in the child welfare system. Family preparation includes training to help the pre-adoptive family understand the concept of permanency and what to expect when adopting a child. Once the family profile has been completed, if the family is not yet matched with a pre-adoptive child, NET engages in recruitment activities to help match the family with a child or children.
Child Preparation
Child Prep Services help children and youth who are currently in the child welfare system move towards placement in a permanent home. Issues of grief and loss are explored as we help youth get ready for their next permanent living arrangement, whether it is through adoption or permanent legal custodianship.
Post-Permanency Services
After adoption or permanent legal custody is finalized, NET provides families with case management and respite services. Staff help adoptive or PLC families access appropriate services, such as special education or behavioral health services.
Child Specific Recruitment
This is an effort to find adoptive homes for youth who have lingered in the child welfare system for too long without a plan for a permanent home.
Henry House Group Home
The Henry House Group Home provides services to adolescent females who have some behavioral concerns but who have not yet reached the need for a residential treatment facility. The program offers a supportive trauma-informed living environment where youth can also access individualized support or treatment as needed. Staff provide opportunities to develop independent living skills; monitor activities of daily living including school attendance and functioning; provide access to medical care; and provide de-escalation and/or crises intervention support as needed. All youth are referred for behavioral health assessments and ongoing care services as needed.