NCJ Number
127602
Date Published
1990
Length
14 pages
Annotation
Kaleidoscope, a comprehensive child welfare agency, was created in Chicago in 1973 to serve seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents as well as adolescent parents and their children, psychotic children, and multiproblem families whose children have been placed in State care. In 1986, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) asked Kaleidoscope to consider adding a program catering to the needs of children who were HIV positive.
Abstract
The STAR (Specialized Team for AIDS Relief) Program was developed according to many of the basic features of the Therapeutic Foster Families program and designed with policies and services appropriate to the population. The primary objectives of the program are to provide loving and skilled foster parents for HIV-infected children and to pursue reunification with biological families or adoption where appropriate. Other goals include provision of necessary therapies, medical care, and educational resources. Foster parents are recruited and trained solely to take care of HIV-infected children; they are supported and supervised by a trained agency staff. The STAR staff members were recruited from the larger agency staff. To help the children live as normally as possible within the community, STAR staff and foster parents have relationships with many outside agencies including health care providers, child care services, the business community, other AIDS-related organizations, and the DCFS. While STAR has experienced some successes, some failures, and some surprises, the program demonstrates the need for the development of specialized foster care programs nationwide.