Children First FFA

Managing Holiday Emotions & Stress

What can holiday stress look like? For a mixture of reasons, the holiday season can be a difficult time of year for children as well as adults. Intensified feelings of loss, separation, everyday stress, obligations, financial burden, social commitments, travel commitments, and grief are common links to the stress and emotions experienced during the holiday season. For children who are removed from their birth families, the holidays can be especially trying. As parents, it’s important to be informed and aware of behaviors that may indicate a child is experiencing stress. [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-11-26T22:01:22-05:00November 26th, 2019|Foster Care in CA, foster family agency|Comments Off

Transitional Housing Program Plus | The Importance of Education, Career, and Adventure

Transitional Housing Program Plus Transitional Housing Program Plus | The Transitional Housing Program is an important piece of the puzzle for many foster youth who are moving into adulthood. These youth often do not have mentorship and can fall through the cracks. They can end up in situations less than ideal. Our social workers become the mentors that guide them and give them the tools to be successful as they grow. Some of the items they help with are: Housing Items for their new home (furniture, dishes, etc.) ID card, [...]

By Children First FFA|2021-01-25T19:10:00-05:00November 23rd, 2019|Transitional Housing Program|Comments Off

Transitional Housing Sutter County | Director’s Corner

Director’s Corner Transitional Housing Sutter County | Have I told you, this transitional housing program (THP) changes more lives than any other program I have participated in? That’s bold to say considering my 25 years of helping foster children. Did you know that many of our participants come to us without knowing or having basic life skills? Some milestones they lack are graduating from high school, having a job, or knowing how to create or keep a budget. This is more common in former foster youth than we would like [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-11-01T01:46:51-04:00November 16th, 2019|Transitional Housing Program|Comments Off

Continuum of Care Reform | Providing Resources & Support to Maintain a Stable Permanent Family

Continuum of Care Reform | A stable home life is one of the key factors in a child’s development. Without a safe and supportive place to call home, it is difficult for children to reach their potential. Through Continuum of Care Reform, the state of California is striving to provide a stable family environment for as many children as possible. Drawbacks of Congregate Care Youth who are placed in congregate care rather than living with a home-based caregiver tend to struggle at a higher rate. Those in congregate care drop [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-11-01T01:13:25-04:00November 12th, 2019|Continuum of Care Reform, Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Transitional Housing Red Bluff CA | A Second Chance For Foster Youth

Transitional Housing Red Bluff CA | I have been asked many times by both surprised county social workers and youth THP participants, “Why do you give a second chance?” and have heard statements like, “You can just put in a discharge notice on the youth, you don’t have to put up with this.” But we do and here’s why. What is Transitional Housing Red Bluff CA? Transitional Housing was designed to be a program that supported foster youth as they moved towards independence. This program was created because the foster [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-11-01T01:13:45-04:00November 7th, 2019|Transitional Housing Program|Comments Off

Foster Care for Teens | What do Teens Want from Foster Parents?

Foster Care for Teens | As a resource parent, you can face many challenging situations. Of course, helping children in difficult situations keep their life on track is probably what attracted you to be a resource parent in the first place. Providing foster care for teens can be particularly tough, but exceptionally rewarding, as well. If you can make an impact in the life of a teen, you will be improving the odds that the child will go on to have a successful adult life. Stability First and Foremost The [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-10-10T18:12:13-04:00November 3rd, 2019|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Aging Out of Foster Care | What Happens After Leaving Foster Care?

Aging Out of Foster Care | The foster care system is designed to care for children who do not have a stable, steady, or safe family life. While the system is largely successful in serving this mission, it is limited in what it can do for those individuals once they turn 18. Aging out of foster care doesn’t always end successfully for former foster kids, which is why it’s important to understand the risks and address them accordingly. Starting to Plan Early Adult life sneaks up quickly as a child [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-10-10T18:08:11-04:00October 29th, 2019|Aging Out of Foster Care, Transitional Housing Program|Comments Off

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | 5 Facts About Human Trafficking

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children | Human trafficking is a huge, international crisis. The topic of commercial sexual exploitation of children and other human trafficking crimes doesn’t seem to get the same attention as other human rights issues, but it is a major problem nonetheless. To highlight the serious nature of this issue, let’s look at five stunning facts. 5 Human Trafficking Facts Between 20 million and 40 million people are estimated to currently be in modern slavery Human trafficking produces around $150 billion in profits, much of which comes [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-10-10T18:01:27-04:00October 23rd, 2019|Becoming A Foster Parent In CA, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children|Comments Off

Foster Parent Spotlight: The Joys and Pains of Being A Resource Family

Foster Family in Siskiyou County | A letter from the Akana family: Hi everyone! We're the Akanas, and we're a foster family in Siskiyou County. We've been with the Children First Foster Family Agency for about 7 years now. My husband (who just retired from the county last year), our daughter (who lives with us and helps out when she can) and I work together to provide a ‘home away from home' for our little guests. I can remember like it was yesterday our first placement call. I was caring [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-10-21T14:24:55-04:00October 21st, 2019|Becoming A Foster Parent In CA, Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Intensive Services | What is Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC)?

Intensive Services Foster Care and (ISFC) | Every child is unique, whether they are in the foster care system or not. For those in foster care who need specialized care, intensive services are available to meet their needs. Whether those needs are healthcare-related or behavioral in nature, it’s important that each child is placed in an environment which will promote growth and well-being. When Standard Care Is Not Sufficient For many foster children, living in a ‘standard’ resource home will be enough to stabilize their lives and help them get [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-09-08T21:58:22-04:00October 17th, 2019|Intensive Services Foster Care|Comments Off

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