Mission • Range of Services • Referral Process
For more information on how to become a foster parent for our program, call 274-6310 ext. 1259
Our Mission
Many children and adolescents are unable to live in their own homes for a variety of reasons including behavioral problems, neglect, and/or abuse. Others have been living in residential facilities for a period of time, separated from their families and communities. When appropriate, being part of a specialized foster family allows each child/adolescent the opportunities for typical experiences in a safe and nurturing home with trained professional parents.
Professional Family Living Arrangement (PFLA) is a therapeutic foster care program with a mission to keep children and adolescents in a less-restrictive home setting while working to achieve an individual’s full potential. Established in 1993, PFLA provides a broad range of individualized services to meet the needs of the child/adolescent with challenging emotional and behavioral issues. Its goal is to develop family relationships, independent living skills, and community connections. PFLA also works on the plan toward permanency, preparing a child/adolescent for adoption or to be reunified with his or her family.
Range of Services
The PFLA program provides the following individualized services through a team of professionals including psychologists, master’s level clinicians, PFLA providers, and respite providers:
- Interdisciplinary treatment planning that includes the PFLA team, the child/adolescent and family, the referring agency, and other involved community providers
- Clinical case management and behavioral programming
- Coordination with the individual’s educational program
- PFLA provider training
- Respite care
- Family visitation and training that emphasizes a “parent to parent” model
- Permanency planning
- Professional support 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Click here to download a PDF of our Fact Sheet, which includes Frequently Asked Questions.
Referral Process
The Department of Children, Youth, and Families can make a referral to PFLA to place a child or adolescent in a specialized foster home. Through a screening process, a team of professionals determines that a child is appropriate to live with a family. The child/adolescent and a licensed PFLA home are carefully matched to ensure a successful placement. A gradual transition process is planned by the team with several visits and eventual placement in the PFLA home.
The following diagnostic criteria are used as a guide for placement: children/adolescents ages 3 to 21, Developmental Disabilities, Conduct Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attachment Disorder, or dually diagnosed mental health and cognitive disorders.