NTF ensures a broad range of support, much as might be offered by members of an extended family. Neighbor To Family is the nation's premier foster placement program for sibling groups. We also serve children with special needs and older foster children who are preparing to transition to independent living. Our family-centered approach brings together birth parents, foster care givers, highly qualified program staff, and interested community agencies to provide quality foster care services for abused and neglected children and their parents. Neighbor To Family's principles:
- Strengths and Needs Based Planning
A strengths, needs and culture discovery is completed for each child and family. This discovery is the foundation for the family team meeting. Services should be customized to creatively reflect the child and family's individual strengths in addressing the needs of the child and family. - Partnerships with Families
NTF serves as an advocate to unite all systems - formal and natural - to value the family as active partners in developing plans for their futures. We guide professional members of the team to be active partners with family members, ensuring that all agreed upon service plans reflect the family's values, priorities, strengths and needs. An initial goal of the process may, therefore, be to assist the family in discovering and articulating strengths, needs and culture. - Use of Natural and Informal Supports
Although team membership may vary with changing needs and developing strengths, teams are encouraged to strive towards membership that are at least 50% natural and informal supports. - Collaboration
NTF service plans will be developed and implemented based on an interagency, community-based collaborative process. The team should strive to promote positive connections with all the community has to offer rather than, for example, relying solely on paid supports. - Ongoing Assessment
Ongoing assessment of family needs provides the foundation for a planning process that builds on the strengths and addresses the risk factors of each family. The underlying needs and strengths of each family must be continually reassessed and addressed on an ongoing basis. While the initial assessment will be completed within 30 days after the child and family enters the system, the assessment process, including the Strengths and Culture Discovery, must be a continual, evolving course of action and service planning an open ended process. The NTF Family Team meeting serves as the key point in making adjustments as may be needed to ensure successful goal attainment. - Single point of contact
One member of the Family Team is assigned as the single point of contact and assumes responsibility for coordinating information exchange among the Family Team members and providers regarding the provision of service noted in the service plan. - Cultural Competency
The Family Team process, from the facilitation of the Family Team meetings to the provision of services, should be culturally competent and linguistically appropriate, building on the unique values, preferences and strengths of the child and family and their community.
