CFCS’ Intensive Foster Care program (IFC) provides transitional foster homes for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral issues referred by DCF. We train specialized, intensive and therapeutic foster families who can provide the special care these children need and help them through the transition back to their families or a permanent kinship, guardianship or adoptive placement.

The intensive level of training and support for families is based on the child's level of need requiring additional care unavailable in a “regular” foster home. Many children transition into CFCS homes directly from a medical or psychiatric hospital. Children in the program typically are born addicted to drugs, have been the subject of traumatic physical or sexual abuse, have an attachment disorder as a result of numerous changes in caretakers or abandonment or have been a witness to domestic violence or other trauma.

Prior to placement, a CFCS social worker works intensively with each child and their foster parent to ensure a smooth transition into the foster families. Then a team, including the CFCS social worker, a DCF representative and the foster parent, works closely to support the child's adjustment to the new foster home. Typically, a child's stay can be anywhere from 3 to 18 months.

CFCS is constantly recruiting new families to serve youth through our Intensive Foster Care program. IFC families are single or married, over the age of 21 and in good physical and emotional health. The pool of families CFCS works with reflects the diversity of the young people needing temporary loving stable foster homes.