Page 95 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

Traditional foster parent (PATH) training through CPS to become a licensed resource home consists of five weeks of meetings once a week for three hours. There are additional training hours that are completed online. Once all training
is done, home studies are scheduled. This process can take up to one year to complete if CPS has a large number of relatives who are needing to become licensed to be eligible to foster their family member. Relative placements take precedence over a regular licensed resource home.
Rescue 100 offers families the opportunity to complete the in-class training to become a licensed resource home in one day. Half of the training is completed online, and the other half is completed at the one day training. The home studies are immediately scheduled and completed within 60 days. The entire process takes approximately three months to be completely licensed and ready to begin receiving a foster child placement.
Since the program originated, there have been a total of 280 newly licensed homes in throughout Mississippi counties. In 2018, there have been 14 total training events in 12 counties. Plans are in place for 2019 training events to be hosted
in Marshall, Lauderdale, Pearl River/ Hancock, Hinds, Lincoln/Marion, and Forrest counties.
“The development of quality foster homes is critical to the success of every child welfare system,” says Commissioner of Mississippi Child Protection Services Jess Dickinson. “Rescue 100 is one of
the most successful programs in the country because it seeks out prospective foster parents in the Churches, gets them licensed quickly, and has an excellent follow up program of support groups and care for foster parents.”
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