Dear Parent/Guardian:

Placing your child in Residential Group Care can appear overwhelming at times. Please take a moment to read through the following admission guidelines to allow for a smooth admission process:

1. Screening
Our Family Intake Specialist, Nadia Humphreys, will schedule a meeting with you for an initial evaluation. The purpose of this initial appointment is to assess your family’s situation, explore your options, and determine the appropriate level of care for your child and your family. Dependent on evaluation outcome, you may be asked to return to several meetings for further evaluation, you may receive an application for placement at the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home, or you may receive appropriate referrals to community resources.

2. Financial Assessment
Once you received an application packet for placement at the Children’s Home, the admission process can begin. In your application packet you will find an Income and Expense Affidavit. Please, return these completed forms along with your most recent tax return as soon as possible. Our Chief Financial Officer, Gerald McCarthy, will then contact you to discuss fees for placement, according to a sliding scale.

3. Assessment
Following full completion of the application packet, an Assessment Session will be scheduled. During this session, you will meet with our Education Coordinator as well as with our nurse for an educational and health screening. Dependent on screening outcome your child may be placed on our waiting list for admission. After the Assessment meeting, you will take a tour of the campus.

4. Pre-placement Visit
The purpose of the pre-placement visit is to allow your child to get to know house-parents, peers and FUMCH staff by spending a couple of hours in the cottage and/or on campus. Parents/guardians are kindly asked to leave the campus to allow the child some time of assimilation.

Admission
An admission date will be scheduled as soon as there is an opening in the appropriate cottage. Admissions will only be scheduled once all necessary documentation is received.

Florida United Methodist Children's Home Referral Packet Checklist.
An application is considered complete when the following documents/information have been completed and/or received:

• Application
• Family Income Worksheet
• Authorization for Release of Information (for past schools):
  • Psychological
  • Medical Records
  • Dental Records
  • Reports from Referring Agency and other Mental Health Professionals
• Educational Records
  • Updated copies of School Transcript and Standardized Testing
  • Specific information regarding Special Classes for school placement (if applicable).
  • Educational Planning Agreement
• Legal Papers:
  • Juvenile Court Papers (if applicable): Final Orders of Disposition, Pre Disposition Reports and Petition of Dependency or Delinquency and Orders or court commitment to the Children's Home.
  • Custodial Papers: Adoption, Guardianship, and Powers of Attorney, Certified Copy of Divorce Decree showing custody, support.
  • Hold Harmless Form properly notarized.
• Current Medical Examination
  • Consent for drug testing
  • Immunization Record
• Copy of Birth Certificate or Acceptable Verification of Birth.
• Copy of Social Security Card or proof that application has been made.
• For Department of Children and Families Placement: current Medicaid card.