Are you interested in becoming a foster parent?
Would you like more information about foster parenting?
Fill out our Foster Parent interest form.

Foster Family Connections

Foster Family Connections provides foster care to children from birth to 18, including those who failed in other foster homes or needed residential treatment. Supported by a competent, caring staff and a wide array of services, our specially trained foster families effectively help even the most highly troubled youth.

Our mission is to provide every child with a permanent family. We help children return to their birth families, but when reunification is not possible we encourage foster parents to adopt their foster child themselves.

The program provides three discrete services that contribute to permanency in different ways.

Standard Treatment Foster Care is a family-based service providing individualized treatment and reunification services for children, youth, and their families. Services are provided primarily through foster parents, who are trained, supervised, and supported by qualified program staff. No more than two STFC children are placed in a single home unless there are special circumstances such as maintaining sibling sets together.

Intensive Treatment Foster Care is a family-based service providing intensive, specialized treatment and reunification services for children, youth and their families. Services are provided through highly trained and experienced foster parents, support counselors, social workers, clinicians, and other specialized service providers as needed. No more than one ITFC child is placed in a single home at a time, unless there are special circumstances.

Adoption services are for children and youth who are unable to reunite with their birth families. Adoption links these children with loving, nurturing families prepared to make a lifetime commitment to a child or youth in need.

Population Served

Standard Treatment Foster Care serves children and youth who require temporary or permanent out-of-home placement and have specialized treatment needs that require more attention than can be provided in the Receiving Home or in county foster homes.

Intensive Treatment Foster Care serves children and youth who are emotionally disturbed, as evidenced by specific behavior management problems. As a result of their emotional disturbance, these children and youth have been either (1) placed in a group home with a rate classification level of 12 or higher or (2) assessed by the child's county interagency review team as at imminent risk of psychiatric hospitalization or placement in a group home with a rate classification level of 12 or higher. ITFC is also for children who have successfully completed a group home program. Adoptions services are for children and youth who are unable to reunite with their birth families, and have been specifically and legally freed for adoption by the court.

Desired Outcomes

Families achieve their goals, usually with their children living in the family home or some other permanent setting. In Foster Family Connections, each child or youth served will achieve a permanent outcome: reunification, guardianship, adoption, or emancipation with an expressed lifetime commitment of support from at least one adult. Long-term foster care is the least desired and acceptable outcome. When a child is discharged from the program, there should be no plans for the child to change placements until adulthood.
Overall adjustment and improvement in the youth's behavior and functioning, through a demonstrated use of strength based adaptive behaviors and an increase in the use of functional social skills.
Over time in the program, families utilize less formal, professional, categorical services and more family-based, community-based, universally available resources.

Principles and values

Foster Family Connections is committed to offering a program consistent with the following principles and values.

The family unit is our focus of attention. Family-centered practice means that we work with the family as the primary focus of attention, support and intervention, promoting the safety, well-being and permanent connections between family members, including children identified as needing specific care and attention. Caregivers and siblings receive services in accordance with the needs of the family and the wishes of a family-driven team. Unbiased information is shared with families on a continual basis in order to support their need and ability to make decisions with adequate information. True family/professional collaboration is sought, not just coordination, recognizing that the family should always be the constant in a child's life.
We strengthen the existing capacities of families to function effectively. The primary purpose of family-centered practice is to strengthen the family's potential for carrying out their responsibilities by focusing on family strengths, not on problems or deficits. These strengths are also leveraged to address challenges and needs identified by the family.
Families are our full partners in designing all aspects of policies, services, and program evaluation. Families have voice and choice in the development and implementation of their child and family plan. Families are recognized as knowing themselves better than anyone and are encouraged to use their expert knowledge throughout decision and goal-making processes. We provide individualized, culturally-responsive, and relevant services for each family. In addition, we involve families in creating agency policies and programs.
Families are linked with more comprehensive, diverse, and community-based networks of supports and services. Family-centered interventions assist in mobilizing resources to maximize communication, shared planning, and collaboration among community and/or neighborhood systems that are directly involved with the family. Planning and services occur in communities where families live. Families are encouraged to engage in family to family support and networking. Institutional settings seen as temporary resources, not long-term "placements."
Services are Outcome Driven. Stanford Home examines and evaluates program implementation and the family centered outcomes achieved through to use of scientific research and analysis. We adopt new methods (and abandon others) in accordance with research findings and family centered practice principles and values. The program is evaluated for its ability to achieve the following outcomes:
Services are individualized. Planning and services are individualized. The plans -including the strengths, the needs, the options, the strategies, and the services- are developed by unique teams comprised of children and families.
Child and Family Teams Drive the Work. Planning and services are team-driven. Each family's plan is developed by a unique family team with oversight and facilitation from a trained professional.
Services are Needs-Driven. Services provided are inspired by the prioritized needs of the families served, across all life-domains, not the categories determined by others. Planning and services are comprehensive.
We are Persistent. Planning, support and intervention occurs in an environment of unconditional acceptance. As family needs change, the plans, strategies, and services change. Families are not discharged until: 1) the desired outcome is achieved, 2) the family team seeks termination of services, or 3) regulation or funding necessitates termination of services.
We seek to be experienced by families as Culturally Competent. Planning and services are grounded in the family's culture, values and norms. Staff members strive to become educated and sensitive to the unique culture of each family.
Each child or youth served deserves a permanent outcome: reunification, guardianship by the foster family, adoption, or emancipation with a lifetime commitment. Long-term foster care is the least desired outcome. Each child and youth deserves to have a family that will make a lifetime commitment. When a child is discharged from the program, there should be no plans for the child to move again until adulthood.

If you have any questions regarding Foster Family Connections, please call
(916) 344-0199.