Foster Care

Foster Care services provide children and families with external resources and support to ensure a positive and healthy foster experience. Foster Care involves the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of children and adolescents. At the heart of the program is the commitment made by each foster family to help the children and adolescents in their home to take responsibility for their lives and their future.

Services

NOVA provides four levels of foster care including Agency Supported Foster Care, Continuity of Care, Treatment Foster Care and Emergency Foster Care for infants and children ages birth through 18 years.

Agency Supported Foster Care and Continuity of Care children typically have a higher level of need as compared to tradition foster care. Agency Supported placements can range anywhere from three months to one year or longer.

Treatment Foster Care serves youth with significant emotional or behavioral needs. Treatment Foster Care is the most intensive level of placement within a family setting and requires specially trained foster parents and support staff.

Emergency Foster Care provides homes for children in a crisis situation. Emergency placements generally range from 30 to 90 days.

What is the referral process?

All referrals must be made to NOVA by Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Placement Office and Child Protective Services (CPS). Any NDHHS Casemanager can contact the NOVA Foster Care program for information, but they must contact their placement office to make the referral. NOVA's Foster Care program has recently expanded to include the ability to provide foster care services to more Nebraska State Wards with the opening of the Lincoln Office.

Services are provided to foster families Weekly case management visitations and communications Regular and emergency respite care Initial and ongoing foster parent training 24 hours a day 7 days a week crisis intervention Regular care reviews PALS program-independent living skills training

Other Foster Care Services

Family Support Services are ordered by NDHSS to preserve the family unit and/or reunify the child with their parents. Family Support Services are designed to help the parent(s) achieve a healthy and safe home environment by improving parenting skills, provide proper care, safety, and management of their children, and ultimately achieve self sufficiency in managing their lives and the family unit.

Visitation and Transportation consists of monitoring court ordered visits between the child and custodial parent(s), non-custodial parent(s), siblings and other relatives. NOVA is responsible for observing and redirecting parent responses to the child to assist them in developing better parenting skills and for arranging and/or providing transportation for the child to visit.

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