Foster Care in CA | Children First Foster Family Agency

Foster Parents | 3 Traits to be a Successful Foster Parent

What Defines A Successful Foster Parent? Good foster parents understand that all children have unique personalities and need to be treated as individuals. With that being said, there are certain characteristics that foster parents want to implore to provide the best environment for their foster children. Here are 3 traits that many successful foster parents have in common. Have Good Listening Skills Children that are placed in foster homes have typically endured significant struggles or even traumatic events in their young lives. They often carry a lot of emotional [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-05-24T14:39:02+00:00December 15th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Parenting | 3 Tools to Create a Welcoming Home Environment

How Foster Parents Can Create A Welcoming Home Environment Foster parenting can be both rewarding and stressful as you attempt to provide a quality living environment for your foster children. Many foster children have been through some poor living situations in the past. It is important to make their current living experience as safe and inviting as possible. Here are some tools to help make your home environment welcoming for your foster children. Maintain a Clean Home A child that has been removed from their home and placed in [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-08-06T17:03:30+00:00December 13th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Parents | Understanding the Concept of Fair but Not Equal

Foster Parents | Understanding the Concept of Fair but Not Equal Foster Parents | If you already have children in your home, welcoming in a foster child can be a daunting experience. There are many factors to consider how this new addition to the family dynamic will impact everyone in the house. You may have heard the term “fair but not equal” during your foster care education classes. This term is easy to gloss over before your new addition arrives but will come back to haunt you weeks or even [...]

By Children First FFA|2018-10-08T22:11:35+00:00September 29th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Care Programs | The Benefits of Weighted Blankets

Foster Care Programs | The Benefits of Weighted Blankets Foster Care Programs | Weighted blankets have grown in popularity in recent years. They are widely used by people who suffer from anxiety or have sleep disorders. Weighted blankets are also recommended for children in the foster care program (resource program) to help with issues that may arise due to their traumatic past. Here are 3 ways a weighted blanket can help foster children: Provide Comfort Children in the foster care program (resource program) usually require extra items of comfort [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-08-06T17:38:29+00:00September 28th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Care Programs | 2 Ways to Help Encourage Empathy with Your Foster Child

Foster Care Programs | 2 Ways to Help Encourage Empathy with Your Foster Child Foster Care Programs (resource programs) | Children in foster care programs (resource programs) have been through a lot over the course of their short lives. They oftentimes don’t know the words to express how they are feeling and choose to show their feelings through behaviors. Helping to teach your foster child about feelings, and the appropriate way to express them is crucial to raising them. Here are 2 ways to help your foster child tap into their [...]

By Children First FFA|2018-10-08T22:11:36+00:00September 28th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Parenting | 3 Ways Play Therapy Helps Foster Children

What Play Therapy Is And How It Helps Foster Children Foster Parenting | Most, if not all, foster children will need therapy at some point in their life. The process of being in foster care programs (resource programs) can bring many struggles for children that need to be addressed. Many therapists now offer Play Therapy for younger children which allow them to play with children while also talking to them in a relaxed atmosphere. Here are 3 ways that Play Therapy can greatly help children in foster care programs [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-08-06T17:11:33+00:00September 27th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Foster Parenting | Changing times – Changing language

You may have noticed that we are using the term Resource Family interchangeably with Foster Parent. The primary reason for this is the government’s decision to morph language to better fit the needs of children and the aspirations of the child welfare system. Here’s how they define it: “A Resource Family is any individual, couple, or family who wants to provide care to a related or unrelated child (or children) who is under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, or otherwise in the care of a county child welfare agency [...]

By Children First FFA|2021-01-25T19:11:57+00:00April 10th, 2018|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

How to Let Go of a Child After Foster Care

Ideally, foster parents provide a stable family home in which the child can grow and thrive. But foster care is meant to be a temporary solution to a complicated problem. All involved parties work together to resolve the family problems and reunite children with their natural parents. At that time, foster parents must give up the children they have bonded with, fed, clothed, and housed. So how does one get over, what is essentially, the loss of a child? Think of the child. The first step to letting go of [...]

By Children First FFA|2017-07-28T15:49:41+00:00July 28th, 2017|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

Teaching Healthy Boundaries to Foster Children

Foster children often come from environments that did not have healthy boundaries and relationships. Because of this, they may struggle to apply proper boundaries in their interactions with others. Boundaries are lines that establish what one person will accept of another person’s actions and words. They are designed to keep out toxic behaviors, such as abuse, manipulation, harassment, and cruelty, and to encourage the kind of treatment that will be accepted. As a foster parent, you will need to help them recognize and respect these boundaries with other people and [...]

By Children First FFA|2020-12-28T17:37:19+00:00July 19th, 2017|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off

In for the Long Haul: How Foster Parents Can Prevent Burnout

The reports of foster parent burnouts are frequent. This is understandable, given that fostering has a number of stressful challenges, ranging from traumatized children, frequent changes in caseworkers, limited support, the nearly constant threat of losing children, and more. But it doesn’t need to end there. To maintain the stamina for long-term foster parenting, it’s imperative that foster parents invest in their own emotional and physical health. Self-Care Foster parenting is a child-focused service, which is important, but in order for you to care for others, you will need to [...]

By Children First FFA|2019-08-06T17:39:42+00:00June 26th, 2017|Foster Care in CA|Comments Off