Foster Parent Support

Foster parents are a valuable but often neglected resource, both for child welfare agencies and the children they serve. They are increasingly being asked to fill a variety of roles-including nurturer, disciplinarian, therapist, case manager, recruiter, mentor to birth parents, member of the permanency planning team and potential adoptive parent-and to care for children with increasingly complex and deep-seated emotional, behavioral and medical problems. Policymakers are beginning to appreciate the key role played by foster parents in keeping sibling groups together, facilitating the permanent placement of children and preparing foster youth for independent living.

Resources:
Family

• BeAFosterParent.com.
• National Foster Parent Association
• FosterClub: Link for Grownups
• Preparing Your Family for a Child from Foster Care
• How to Best Prepare Your Biological Children for Foster Care?
• Holding Family Meeting after First Week of a New Placement
• Foster Parent Concerns
• 10 Things You Can Do Now to Be Ready to Do Foster Care Later
• Caring for Young Foster Kids
• Child Activity: “I am Me” Book
• Saying Goodbye to a Child

Education

• Helping Your Child Succeed in School: An Education Handbook for Parents and Caregivers of Children and Youth in the Foster Care System
• Barriers to Improving Educational Outcomes for Foster Youth
• Educating California’s Foster Youth
• Educational Rights for Foster Youth Brochure

Legal

• Youth Law Center

Kern County Agencies:

• Kern County Service Provider Resource Guide
• Kern County Family Ombudsman Services
• Bakersfield College Foster and Kinship Care Education Program
• Kern County Children’s Community-Based Mental Health Services Referral Handbook
• Independent Living Program and Foster Youth Transitional Services
• H.E.A.R.T.S. Connection Special needs Family Resource Center
• Parenting classes & support groups at Haven Counseling
• Kern County Foster Youth Services

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