By Kathy L. Collins
H.E.A.D.S. (Healing Educational Alternatives for Deserving Students) is an organization with over 70 mental health therapists that provide in-home therapy to children, adults and families. They have been providing this care to foster homes and mental health services to children in Florida since 1993. They are partnering with Eckerd and are expanding its services in to Hillsborough County.
They are seeking foster parents for their STFC (Specialized Therapeutic Foster Care) program.
According to Ted Waller, CEO, “Hundreds of children in Hillsborough County are needing STFC. Eckerd provides services to approximately 2900 children in our county. Approximately 10 percent of those children are in need of specialized therapeutic homes.”
H.E.A.D.S. STFC program currently has 20 therapeutic foster homes in Polk County and provides 24 hour therapeutic support for children that have been abused. Waller added, “The foster parents in our organization are called ‘Delta Angels’ a term coined by the fact that they are angels on earth for the children in their care.”
According to Waller, “There are many excellent agencies in the area. Our uniqueness derives from our family owned team approach, and our ‘Delta Angels’ trademark, that we hope denotes the importance of this elite team to the children we serve along with our commitment to providing comprehensive training and clinical support to the children in our care and their foster parents.”
Parents in the program receive 63 hours of pre-service training and one hour of additional, ongoing training each month thereafter. There are no fees for training.
Parents who are accepted are compensated a daily rate of $50 to $65 per day. This must not be the family’s only source of income. All prospective parents must be able to pass a thorough background check.
Those interested in becoming foster parents for this special group of children, should call Dee Dee Parker, STFC Coordinator at 754-5555. There will be an informal informational session on November 28. Please call Parker for more information on times and location.
H.E.A.D.S. is located at 1001 E. Baker St., #100 in Plant City. For more information, please visit www.headsusa.com.
