What is a Foster Family Agency? A Foster Family Agency, or FFA, is a private, community based, nonprofit organization licensed by the State of California to provide foster family care. With this license, FFAs are contracted to recruit, train, and certify quality homes that are able and willing to provide the love and nurturance that children need.
What do FFAs do? FFAs work with the county department of social services to provide safe and stable foster homes for children who have been removed from their biological families due to abuse, abandonment or neglect. The goal for children is always permanence. Permanence may take the shape of being returned to their biological parents or extended family members, or it may be adoption by their foster family.
When the county department of social services calls an FFA with a child in need of care the FFA places the child in the home most suited to meet that child’s individual needs. Once placed, the following services are provided:
Services include:
• Weekly, in-home contact with a social worker to support both foster parents and the child/children.
• Assessment and development of a treatment plan tailored to assure that the child is medically, socially, educationally and developmentally on track.
• Monitoring of court ordered birth family visitation
• Professional support services for foster parents, including pre-service and ongoing training classes, behavioral intervention, counseling and liaison work with schools, therapists, birth families, etc.
• On-call support, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
• Assistance in securing respite care.
• Independent living and transition services for the minor.
• Adoption services, if agency is dually licensed as a Foster Care and an Adoption Agency.
Who oversees FFAs? The Community Care Licensing Division of the State Department of Social Services regulates all the licensing requirements of Foster Family Agencies and their certified foster homes.
For further information about becoming a foster or fost/adopt parent, please contact Robin Monroe, M.A., Certification Coordinator at Inner Circle Foster Care & Adoption Services, at 818-988-6300, ext 212 or email robinm@fosterfamily.org .