TFC is an acronym for Therapeutic Foster Care. TFC involves placing foster youth with severe mental, emotional, or behavioral health needs in a home with clinically trained foster parents. Here are some other things you should know about TFC:
- Kids in TFC, versus regular foster care, are more likely to have been exposed to more adverse experience. This is important for prospective foster parents to understand why TFC youth need a higher level of care.
- TFC usually involves more in-depth training for foster parents on neurobiology, the brain, and attachment styles.
- Exposure to abuse, neglect, and trauma at an early age affects brain development because the absence of a safety person at a young age creates a lot of insecurity and puts the child in a constant state of stress, impacting mental, behavioral, and emotional development.
- For kids in TFC, the end goals are reunification, adoption, Another Planned Permanent Living Arrangement (APPLA), or custody/guardianship.
- Due to the disruption an instability that youth in therapeutic foster care often experience, the importance of having relationships with stable, loving adults in their lives both while they’re in foster care and once they’ve aged out of care is immeasurable.
The following was shared with us by a young woman who was previously in our foster care program. She highlights the impact her foster mother and Hearts & Homes for Youth had on her healing and growth. 
Hearts & Homes for Youth recently hosted a holiday party for our young mothers, foster youth, and foster parents!
This year we had games for the adults while the youth played arcade games, but before we knew it the young people were in the room playing with us! They enjoyed the friendly competition for prizes. The event was a great opportunity to build bonds that will last a life time, adding to the holiday cheer.
