about us donate calendar blog careers Aunt Bertha login YOU ARE: HOMECAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM Foster Care Adoption Prevention Community Contact Us Latest post Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive Posted:Thursday, September 30, 2021 We invite you to join Heartland for Children in our 17th Annual Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive. With your help, our goal is to help make incredible holiday memories for CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM CAREGIVER SUPPORT PROGRAM A program for relatives and fictive kin caring for children in Florida’s foster care system. Serving POLK, HIGHLANDS, & HARDEE Counties. A program provided in partnership with the Florida Department of Children and Families. WHAT’S CAREGIVER SUPPORT? Caregiver Support is a program to provide supports and financial resources to your family as you care for a child who was removed from their home. We hope that this program is a temporary resource while the child’s parents work through challenges they need to in order for the child(ren) to safely return home. However, if this is not possible and you are given the opportunity to become a permanent guardian to the child(ren), this program will ensure you are able to receive ongoing Guardianship Assistance until the child(ren) reaches adulthood. THE BENEFITS OF CAREGIVER SUPPORT • Child receives Medicaid to cover medial, dental, and behavioral health services • Training on how to better meet the needs of a child who’s experienced trauma • Access to additional trainings that may help your family connections to community resources • Monthly stipend of $333 a month upon completion of onboarding process WHO DO I WORK WITH? You will work with many people within the child welfare system throughout the life of the case. You’ve probably already met the Child Protective Investigator or Case Manager who did an initial home check to place the child(ren) with you. Now you’ll have another added resource with the Caregiver Support program who will help ensure you are recieveing all the benefits you are now eligible for. WHAT CAN I EXPECT? Mainly, you will be provided a few training hours that better prepare you for this new role, such as training on the child welfare system and how trauma impacts children. There may also be a small amount of additional paperwork to complete. You will also begin receiving a higher monthly stipend once you complete the initial requirements of the Caregiver Support program. This $333 a month will continue as long as you have the child in your legal custody, even until the child turns 18 if the case closes with you as the permanent guardian. WHAT HAPPENS IF A CHILD CAN’T GO HOME? Participating in the Caregiver Support program for six consecutive months will prepare you to become the child’s permanent guardian, should the court choose this as a goal. If you become a permanent guardian, you will complete a Guardianship Assistance Agreement. This agreement will ensure you continue to receive the $333 monthly until the child turns 18. If the child in your home is 16 or older when you become the permanent guardian, you will also be able to opt in to Extended Guardianship Assistance that will carry the stipend on until the child turns 21, provided they are attending school or working. For some children, the court will determine that adoption is a more appropriate goal, and you will be given the opportunity to apply to adopt the child after the rights of the parents are terminated. The team at Heartland for Children is ready to help you. Please call 863-519-8900 Ext. 305 to learn more. Stay informed with our updates: © 2013 Heartland for Children. All rights reserved. 1239 E. Main Street Bartow, Florida 33830. | (863) 519-8900 Designed by Madden Brand Agency Heartland for Children (HFC) does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on disability, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, or any category protected by law. HFC will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities unless doing so creates an undue hardship for the organization. Sponsored by: State of Florida Department of Children and Families