Resource Families
What is a Resource Family?
Resource Family Approval is a new family friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process that combines elements of the former foster parent licensing, relative approval and approvals for adoption and guardianship and replaces those processes. Here are some things that you will do as a Resource Parent:
- Provide daily care and nurture of children in foster care.
- Advocate for children in their schools and communities.
- Keep children in their school of origin whenever possible.
- Inform the children’s caseworkers about adjustments to the home, school and community, as well as any problems that may arise, including any serious illness, accidents or serious occurrences involving the children.
- Make efforts, as team members with the children’s caseworkers, toward reunifying the children with their birth families. Fostering families make a lifelong commitment to be a part of these children’s lives, regardless of where they are.
- Provide a positive role model to birth families.
- Help children learn life skills.
Interested in Becoming a Resource Family?
When parents are unable to safely care for their children, we seek fostering and kinship caregivers who can provide the loving, committed, skilled care that the child needs, while working effectively with our Child Welfare team to achieve the best possible permanency option for that child. Foster Care is by definition a temporary situation.
Our goal is to help families stabilize and reunify whenever possible, serving best interests of the child. When reunification is not possible, we seek families to adopt and create stable, loving, forever homes for children in care.
Why do Children Enter Foster Care?
Children enter foster care for a number of reasons. In Napa County, the majority of children removed from their homes is due to general neglect.
General neglect is when a parent or caregiver fails to provide adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care or supervision.
Child Welfare services are available to children and their families when children are victims of, or at risk of, neglect, abuse (emotional or physical), illegal drug exposure, sexual exploitation, or parental absence.