» Completion of State and federal criminal background check

» Complete a medical exam (general physical)

» Meet home safety requirements

» Provide family references

» Attend a 24 hour resource parent training program

» Complete CPR and First Aid Training

» Possess a valid California driver’s license

» Verify current automobile insurance coverage

» 21 years of age or older

» Attend an Orientation with Kamali’i FFA Staff (call the office within your County or look at the Calendar of Events schedule for the next available Orientation in your area).

» Attend Prospective Resource Parent Training. This is a State and County required training which is provided over a 4 week period designed to prepare you for the demands of foster care

» Complete an application and begin paperwork.

» Complete the legal requirements such as background check and fingerprinting

» Complete a home inspection by one of our office staff

» Complete a home study with one of our Agency Social Workers

» After all of the above requirements are met, you will be notified of your final approval. Once you are approved, you will be added to our list of resource parents and will be notified when a child needs a home.

Foster parenting requires a lot of patience, compassion and skill. Resource parents understand that children who come to them are hurting and that it takes a long time to reduce the pain, and change the resulting behaviors. You must be at least 21 years of age, be of good moral character, be in good health, have an adequate income, be flexible, be a good listener, and be willing to work in partnership with Kamali’i Foster Family Agency and Child Protective Services.

Effective resource parents are consistent and understand that routines help children feel secure. Resource parents need to be flexible and able to adjust to unexpected events such as tantrums and nightmares. Good resource parents relish the challenge of finding new and creative ways to manage a child’s behavior and effect positive outcomes. The most successful resource parents have a passion for learning and welcome all opportunities to improve their knowledge and skills. Individuals who make the best resource parents are those that acknowledge the child’s bond with their birth parents, (no matter the birth parent’s past history), and those who are willing to work towards family reunification and actively support family connections.

Typically, people who want to become resource parents are individuals with big hearts who genuinely love children. Unfortunately, this is often not enough to be a successful resource parent. Children who enter foster care probably have been seriously abused and/or neglected. As a result, children in foster care need a person or family who is able and willing to deal with the behaviors they often develop in response to the abuse or neglect. If a person has unresolved losses in their own life, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to parent in an objective way. Sometimes the foster child will trigger painful memories in the adult with an unresolved issue. This does not mean that you will be unable to serve children in some way, but it may mean the providing 24-hour parenting will not be helpful for you or any foster child at this time. These concerns are discussed throughout the training and evaluation process. The decision to become a resource parent is a mutual decision that occurs over the time period of the training and home study process.

No, however, resource parents do receive a monthly reimbursement to offset the cost of a child’s room and board, clothing and related expenses. Rearing a child is expensive, financial support is provided based upon the age of the child. Medical, dental and psychological needs are provided through Medi-Cal.

We strongly encourage every resource family to voice their opinions and concerns regarding a prospective foster child. There must be a good “match” between the child and the resource family. Prior to placement, an Agency Social Worker will share information about the child to include social history, current needs, allergies, basic reason for placement, current medication if any, therapy needs if any, challenging behaviors and educational placement. If a family does not feel comfortable accepting a child into their home, they have the right to decline placement. Upon acceptance of a child for placement in your home, we do expect the family to be committed to the child throughout the entire foster placement. Refusing a placement will not result in withholding future referrals. Voicing your concerns about the placement will help to reduce the risk of placement disruption in the future; resulting in another loss for the child.

Any parenting experience is an asset, but is not required. The willingness of a resource family to acquire the skills necessary to meet the needs of children who have been through abuse and neglect is highly desirable.

Children, like adults, can become depressed, anxious, fearful and angry. Some have medical needs or developmental problems. Many have delayed social skills or special school needs. Resource parents work closely with the school, therapists and other professionals, and in many cases, with extended family.

Most children who enter foster care are eventually reunited with their biological parents or extended family. If that is not possible, they remain in long term foster care or become available for adoption.

Single-family homes, town homes, and apartments are all appropriate locations for foster care. Foster children need to have their own beds and some require their own room. Some foster children can share a bedroom with a same gender child close in age. Most children come with few possessions but will need dresser drawers and adequate closet space. We do not pay for any alterations needed to your house to accommodate placed children. Our staff will discuss home safety issues such as storage of firearms, access to swimming pools, home evacuation plans in the event of fire, emergency plans during a natural disaster, and the requirements for both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

No. during the home assessment process, resource parents will discuss with the Agency Social Worker what age and sex they prefer. Placements are made within their age range.

An Agency Social Worker is assigned to each child placed with the Agency. Kamali’i social workers are available to their foster parent’s 24-hours a day 7-days a week in times of crisis or emergency. Foster care works best when the resource parent and the Agency Social Worker are a team focusing on the needs of the child. Resource parents may seek advice of another more experienced resource parent that they develop through the Foster Parent Association. It is advisable to develop a strong support network of family, friends, and professionals to help care for any foster child.

Some children may only stay overnight, and others may stay for extended periods of time. There is no definite length of time a child may be in your home. The goal of foster care is to reunite families. Generally, biological parents have from six to 24 months to achieve stability leading towards reunification.

Few if any foster children come with adequate clothing unless they are moving from a previous resource home. When they enter foster care, the county will provide a small emergency clothing allowance however the resource parents will initially be responsible to purchase basic necessities. Resource parents are required to spend $50.00 a month on a child’s clothing needs and supply receipts for their purchases. Additional allowances are distributed periodically over the course of the year by the counties from which the child’s case is handled.

Kamali’i Foster Family Agency has a resource parent ran Foster Parent Association that meets monthly. Participation in the Foster Parent Association is strongly encouraged for resource parents to network with one another.

A psychosocial assessment is an in depth home study the is conducted at the prospective families home by an Agency Social Worker with a potential resource family. The assessment includes a written report describing the family’s social history as it relates to their skills and abilities to parent foster children. There are individual and joint interviews to explore if becoming a resource parent is right for you. Issues discussed include how you were parented as a child, the nature of your relationship with your parents, your philosophy regarding discipline, the techniques you used with your own children, your attitude towards birth parents, your ability to work as part of a treatment team, and your willingness to parent someone else’s child.

Children will have frequent and predictable visits with their birth families. Initial visits are generally supervised in safe locations such as the Kamali’i FFA office or the DPSS offices. Visits will continue by Court order unless they are found to be contrary to the physical or mental well being of the child. Visits typically take place 1 to 2 times a week for 1-2 hours each visit.

Yes. Resource families are encouraged to accept a child as one of the family and trips are a great opportunity to do this; they are also wonderful learning opportunities for the foster child. However, trips need to be worked out well in advance with the County Social Worker so as not to interfere with Court dates or special events with the biological family. Permission to travel must be granted by written permission of the birth family or by Court authorization. Out of state travel does require a signed Court Order.

Yes. Placement of a child in your home however, may depend upon your availability to transport and participate in visitation and frequent therapy needed by the child. Some children with severe attachment issues may require a stay-at-home parent.

Foster care regulations require that there be adequate space for each child. The number of children that you could be approved to foster would depend upon the size of your home, your own family size, and the specific needs of each foster child in your care at that time. California regulations state that the maximum number of children in your home including birth, adopted, foster and guardianship can be no more than six. California regulations also state that no more than two of those children should be under the age of two unless there is additional help in the home. Children who are sexually aggressive towards other younger children or who are experiencing intense emotional stress may require solitary placement. The level of need of every foster child is the primary consideration in determining the number of children placed in a resource family home.

Kamali’i Foster Family Agency is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization providing therapeutic services to children and young adults ages 0-25 years who have been removed from their biological families due to various forms of abuse and neglect and placed with either approved Resource Families or residing in a transitional housing living environment.

Our mission is to provide those minors in foster care with treatment services above and beyond the basic needs that other minors in foster care do not require.  We provide resource family placements, individualized treatment plans, in home 24 hour support services and financial reimbursement to children and families throughout Riverside and San Diego Counties.

Kamali’i FFA firmly believes that the resource parents involved in a minor’s life are the main agents of change as they have first hand knowledge of the minors immediate needs and are the ones who will be available to that minor in times of need.  Kamali’i FFA provides its resource families with the support services to make these changes possible and work diligently with the county and those involved to provide minors in placement with optimal care.

Kamali’i Foster Family Agency provides training for and supervises resource family homes throughout the serviced communities.  Kamali’i provides services to children and young adults between the ages of birth to 25 years of age who have been referred by the Department of Social Services and the Health and Human Services Agency.  Kamali’i works with both the county department of social services and the department of probation.  A Kamali’i resource parent is dedicated to the minors placed in their homes from placement to reunification.

Downloads

– Dental Exam
– Initial Placement Checklist
– Foster Parent Monthly Report
– Foster Youth Rights
– Medical Exam
– Medication Log
– Visitation Plan Evaluation – DPSS 3300
– Weekly Log Sheet
– Visitation Report
– Centrally Stored Medication