Specifications include, but are not limited to: Child Placing, Therapeutic Foster Care TFC services are defined as community-based services for children with emotional or behavioral health needs, medical or developmental conditions that require specialized care and supervision that can be met through services delivered primarily by certified therapeutic foster caregivers. TFC providers will embrace QPI values and practices and implement them in their provision of care and services. TFC services are offered through partnership with the child, the child’s family, and other persons identified by the placing agency, towards the goals outlined in the family and/or child’s case plans. These services allow the child to benefit from a therapeutic home environment that focuses on identifying children’s strengths and needs and employing a trauma-informed approach to address their needs and evolve their strengths and skills. TFC is a community-based care-giving intervention that utilizes clinical assessment and treatment provided by community providers. The TFC program will provide individualized services, based on a plan developed specifically to meet the child’s diagnosis, physical health, emotional health, and social health, and educational needs. There are two levels of therapeutic foster homes. Level 1 TFC homes serve children and youth that may have moderate medical conditions and/or mental health, behavioral or emotional disorders that interfere with or limit functioning within family systems, educational settings or community activities. Level 2 TFC homes serve children and youth that have serious functional impairment in the areas of medical, mental, behavioral and/or emotional disorders that substantially interfere with or limit functioning within family systems, educational settings, or community activities. Children or youth requiring level 2 TFC homes may have behavioral issues that are more frequent, likely to occur on a daily basis, or at a minimum, several times per week and represent a considerable increase in the intensity and occurrence of the behavioral event; may have a medical or developmental problem or condition so serious that it requires specialized care and supervision from a trained person; or may possess both medical and mental health, behavioral or emotional disorders. DCFS is seeking proposers that will provide Level 1 and Level 2 TFC homes but will make a diligent effort on providing level 2 homes with at least 50% of their homes providing level 2 placements. Levels will be approved by DCFS State Office Home Development reviewing the Levels Characteristics Guide and supporting documentation of children/youth’s diagnosis or diagnoses. There exists the need to recruit, train, certify and support homes that can meet the specialized needs of children and youth with the following characteristics or histories. i. Developmental/Cognitive delays, especially Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder spectrum. ii. Medically complex iii. Identification as sex trafficked victim iv. LGBTQ v. Conduct disorder vi. Older youth (14-17) vii. Sexualized behavior viii. Criminal involvement The program must afford children/youth a reasonable opportunity to enhance their capacities to cope with their environment, to live as normally as possible, and to enable them to realize their fullest potential. The provider will work with DCFS to engage birth parents, extended family and siblings to be involved as much as possible with the child’/youth’s day-to-day activities The provider is expected to continually monitor the need for children/youth to continue in the therapeutic foster care level of service.