Foster Family Network – Inland Empire
Providing Quality Foster Care Services in California’s Inland Empire
In 1986, ChildNet Youth and Family Services, Inc. opened their first foster care program in California, Foster Family Network (FFN), in order to address the foster care needs in Los Angeles County and Orange County. Since that time, ChildNet has expanded its foster care program to the Inland Empire which encompasses Riverside County and San Bernardino County.
How to Become a Foster Parent/Resource Parent in California’s Inland Empire
If you are interested in learning about becoming a foster parent (aka resource parent) and are looking for information, please contact our Inland Empire Office:
Foster Family Network – Inland Empire
3877 12th Street
Riverside, CA 92501
Tel: (951) 247-6064
Fax: (951) 242-6201
Hundreds of Children in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties Need Foster/Resource Parents
The California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP) is a collaboration between the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS). The mission of CCWIP is to provide policymakers, child welfare workers, researchers, and the public with information about California’s child welfare system.
According to the California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP), from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018, 164 children entered into the Riverside County foster care system and 344 children were entered into San Bernardino County foster care (Ref: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/ucb_childwelfare/Entries.aspx). The influx of children needing foster care shows no signs of slowing.
From the same CCWIP source, Statewide, 5,223 California children from the ages of less than one month to 20 years were placed in foster care with relatives, resource families, Foster Family Agencies (FFAs), group homes, temporary shelters, guardians, and/or other individuals.
Finding and Supporting Foster/Resource Parents in Riverside County and San Bernardino County
ChildNet’s Foster Family Network (FFN) receives referrals from the child welfare agency and probation department of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. ChildNet’s FFN identifies, recruits, and trains foster parents. Foster parents may be single or divorced adults, married couples, retirees, or same-sex couples. One important characteristic they must all share is the ability to provide a safe, loving, stable, and nurturing home for the foster child placed in their care. Foster parents must also satisfy all State and County requirements and become approved as a resource family. ChildNet’s FFN helps foster parents satisfy the mandated requirements and provides the monthly stipends to foster parents for food, clothing, and supplies, etc. for their foster children.
FFN’s ongoing training and support of foster parents include:
1) ChildNet FFN’s pre-approval training and qualifications
2) Child and Infant First Aid and Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training
3) Ongoing parenting instruction, in-home and at the FFN office
4) Courses related to child trauma, abuse, neglect, abandonment, development, behavior management, drug abuse, academic performance, and more
5) Counseling and consultation as requested
6) Home visits
7) Referrals to community resources
8) Coordination of medical, educational, and psychological services
9) Water safety certification training
Other ChildNet Foster Family Network Offices
You may also contact our other Foster Family Network offices:
Foster Family Network – Los Angeles and Orange Counties
5150 E. Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite 100
Long Beach, CA 90804
Tel: (800) 945-KIDS
Fax: (562) 492-6760
Foster Family Network — Kern County
4101 Easton Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93309
Tel: (661) 633-1700
Fax: (661) 633-1785