Parenting Program

The Angels Parenting Program

Our acclaimed Angels Parenting Program teaches you not only practical parenting skills, but also the key principles of development and psychology required to raise a happy, well-adjusted child.
Our program includes:

  • PRIDE training: Developed by the Child Welfare League of America, this is the standard in foster parent training.
  • Bonding/Attachment Theory: Teaches you how to develop empathy and trust with your baby or toddler.
  • Touchpoints: Pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton’s program explains child development “from a physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral point of view.”
  • Infant Care: Information on how to specifically care for infants.
We’re Always There for You

The Angels staff and Social Workers are always available to address any specific concerns or questions you may have about caring for your foster baby.

Social Worker Support

Angels social workers are the foundation of the intimate services we provide to our foster families. Angels families regularly develop close personal relationships with their social workers and credit them with easing the fostering process. Your social worker will provide help and support in all of the following areas, and more:

  • Prepare for your foster home certification
  • Help Angels place the best foster child (or sibling group) with your family, to meet both your own desires and the needs of the child
  • Visit your home periodically to answer your questions and help you in your wonderful service.
  • Accompany you, upon request, on any doctor visits and maintain records on the health and progress of your foster child.
  • Represent your Angels child in County Juvenile Court and fight for his/her best interests.
  • Be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to address any concerns you may have.
  • Support your family through any difficulties or problems that may arise. Consult with your family when the Juvenile Court makes its final placement decision (i.e., decides whether your foster child will be put up for adoption or returned to his/her birth family).
Support for Adoption

If adoption becomes possible, and you choose to adopt your foster child, your Angels social worker will help guide you through the process, protecting your best interests and those of your child.

Adoption

When Foster Care Becomes Permanent Placement

The primary goal of any foster child program is to eventually reunite the child with its birth parents. But often this is impossible.

Approximately 50% of the foster babies placed in Angels homes over the past years have been adopted because the courts could not return them to their birth parents.

Adopting a Foster Child

When reunification fails, and one of our Angels foster families chooses to adopt their foster child, we work with the County Adoption Agencies to ensure a smooth transition from fostering to adoption.

Fostering as a Test Run for Adoption

The decision to adopt any child is a serious one. The experience of foster parenting can sometimes serve as a valuable “test run,” helping would-be adoptive parents understand the realities of bringing a new baby into their home. If you are considering adoption, you may want to consider being a foster parent first.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the most common questions we receive from our prospective parents:

Is Angels a County-run foster care agency?

No. Angels is a licensed, private foster family agency, operating independently, but in cooperation with Oklahoma County DHS. .

How is Angels different from OKDHS Foster Care?

Angels parents:

  • Are permitted to foster only one child (or sibling group under age 6) at a time. County foster parents are allowed up to 6 foster children (not including their own children).
  • Must provide a stable home routine (or similar child care arrangement).
  • Take the MMPI test before they are accepted into our training program. This test helps us determine if the foster parents have the right personality and patience to handle a foster baby and some of the stresses that come along with the challenge. Angels gives in-depth training specifically geared towards infant and toddler care.
  • Our parents are given support for infant massage, blended families, and in depth grief and loss counciling. 0
  • Agree to care for one child until a permanent placement can be made, and are carefully matched to the child to ensure that the first foster placement is the best and only placement. County care provides for 30-day placements and most children experience a minimum of 3 placements before their first birthday.
  • Receive regular visits and support from their assigned Angels social workers, who also attend parent visitations and all court dates. County social workers, by contrast, are burdened with heavy caseloads, which often prevent the worker from making frequent, regular visits.
  • Consider it a privilege to parent a child and do so as a philanthropic contribution to society.
Where do Angels babies come from?

Angels receives its referrals from OKDHS.

What makes Angels parents so special?

Angels parents are compassionate and conscientious individuals with a deep love of children, a track record of positive parenting, and the financial ability to provide for an additional child. In addition, Angels parents view fostering as an opportunity to contribute to society by making a difference in the life of one child.

How is Angels funded?

Angels is 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization funded solely through private donations from individuals and philanthropic foundations. All funding received is used to recruit, train, and support Angels families and their foster children. The Angels Board of Directors are volunteers and receive no monetary compensation. Learn how you can help by donating.

What are the requirements for becoming an Angels parent?

Basic requirements include:

  • Fingerprint and child abuse index clearance
  • OSBI Background check
  • References
  • Physical exam and T.B. test
  • DMV printout, current auto insurance and driver’s license, and homeowners insurance
  • Successful completion of an approved training program
  • Initial home inspection and preliminary interview
  • Completion of MMPI-2 psychological screening. Please contact us for more details
I thought only older children needed foster homes. Is this true?

One in four foster children enters the system before his or her first birthday. Newborns make up the largest percentage of these infants.

I have heard that court-dependent babies have medical issues. How often is this true?

Typically, the medical issues Angels babies face reflect neglect, abandonment, malnutrition, physical abuse, or in-utero drug exposure. Stimulating and nurturing families are the one very important remedy for these maladies.

Does the County provide medical coverage?

In addition to the monthly stipend you will receive, every child receives Medicaid coverage.

Will I receive any compensation for taking in an Angels baby?

Angels does not pay its parents to care for babies, and prospective parents should view their involvement as a philanthropic contribution to a healthier generation. However, families will receive the standard stipend of about $400/month from the County to cover expenses such as formula, diapers, clothing, and other necessities. Families may also receive assistance for additional food costs through the Women Infants Children (WIC) program. All medical and legal expenses are covered directly by the state.

Do Angels babies visit with their birth parents? Where are the visits held?

All babies placed have court-ordered reunification plans. Angels parents are responsible for seeing that the children visit with their parents as ordered by the court. Typically, visits are set for one hour either once or twice per week. Visits are never held at the home of the foster parents and foster parent addresses are confidential and never provided to birth family members. The visits are supervised and are held at a county visitation facility.

What is involved in your training program?

The training program is the Child Welfare League of America’s PRIDE course, the standard in foster training. Classes are conducted by licensed social workers and expert speakers on medical, developmental, and psychological issues-including caring for drug-exposed babies, understanding the signs of appropriate and inappropriate attachment, and intervention strategies. Twenty-four hours of training are conducted over an 8-week period, held one night per week. Class sizes are small, which allow for interactive communication and learning. All training is conducted at community buildings. The location for each training session will be announced to participating families.

How long might we parent this child?

Each case is different. The court offers reunification services to all birth parents. However, these parents must comply with the court’s orders to regain custody; so the length of placement varies. At Angels, we ask that our foster families commit to keeping the child until a decision is made about the child’s final placement. At that time, the child will either be reunited with his/her birth family or put up for adoption. If the option to adopt arises, and your family is interested, Angels will support you through the process. The babies placed with Angels families typically remain a ward of the court for 6-12 months.

Can Angels families ever adopt their Angels baby?

Yes. When reunification efforts with birth families are unsuccessful, Angels babies become eligible for adoption, and many Angels families choose to adopt their baby. To date, 35% of Angels babies have successfully rejoined their birth parents or extended families Learn more about adoption.

How much help will our family get after a child is placed in our home?

Angels is here to support you every step of the way, by answering your questions or guiding you to the proper resources for help. Our social workers are always available to offer support on a daily or emergency basis and “seasoned Angels parents” often mentor new families. Support group meetings are offered throughout the year and Friends of the agency make generous donations of many baby products. .

Can I help, even if I don’t have the time or resources to be a foster parent?

Yes. Your tax-deductible contribution to Angels will help us continue to place needy babies in loving homes. Angels is entirely financed by donations, so our work depends on your help. Learn more about donating.