For many people, foster care in Northern California is not something they interact with very often – if ever. While this program is extremely important for many children and plays a big role in the health of many communities, it often works in the background. If you are just starting to think about foster care in Northern California and are wondering if you should get involved, it might be best to educate yourself on how the system works and who stands to benefit the most.

Children in Crisis

The biggest benefit of the foster care system, and the reason it exists in the first place, is how it can provide help to children facing a difficult time in their personal lives. Some parents become unable or unwilling to care for their children, and those kids need someone to give them support and security. When biological parents can’t provide the support a child needs, that child may go into the foster care system in Northern California. Whether for just a short time or on a permanent basis (until the child turns 18), foster care can connect children with families who are willing to give them the care they are not getting otherwise. Given the bleak alternatives for these kids if the foster system did not exist, it’s easy to see why this program is so vital.

Parents Who Would Like to Grow a Family

In addition to kids who are in urgent need of care, the foster system can also be a valuable resource for parents who would like to grow their families. Adoption out of foster care is often a possibility, although not all foster children will become available for adoption. For aspiring resource parents, it’s important to understand that fostering can be a viable path toward adding a child (or children) to their family, but it is not the primary focus of the program. Those parents should be mainly focused on providing care for kids in need, while remaining open to the possibility of adoption should the situation arise.

If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent, contact Children First Foster Family Agency or apply to become a resource parent.

Children First FFA is a private, non-profit organization in Northern California that is dedicated to helping change lives by providing a safe place for children to heal in a culture of love, acceptance, and consistency.