ANGELS Projects
Infants in Crisis
Research/Studies
Collaborations
Parenting Program
Foster Terminology

For Email Marketing you can trust

Foster Terminology

Clarifying the Language of Foster Care

Once a child is in the protective custody of the County Juvenile Court, the child must be placed somewhere. Each different location in which that child lives is considered to be a placement. Of the many different placements, there are 3 prevalent types, described below:

Traditional Foster Home: These are County-licensed foster homes, where a child is cared for in a family setting, attends regular school, and has visits with his/her family. Unless the foster home is a licensed FFA "treatment level" home (children with severe mental, emotional, or physical problems), the foster parents are paid approximately $400 per month to care for the child. This is intended to cover the basic living expenses of food, clothing, transportation, entertainment, and shelter. Each County foster home can foster up to 6 children at a time, in addition to any adopted or biological children, so long as they meet licensing requirements for bedrooms. All county foster parents undergo basic training and home inspections. County social workers typically support 45-60 children on their caseloads at any given time.

Emergency Shelter Care Unit (ESC) homes: These are basically traditional foster homes, but they have all agreed to keep beds open in their homes for extremely short-notice placements. In addition to the standard $400 per month stipend, these homes also receive an additional $10 per day, for up to 30 days, for each child they care for. Sadly, many children in ESC homes are moved after the 30 days if they need longer care which often results in many moves in the first months of being in foster care. Babies are optimal placements for most ESC homes, as they generally require less logistical support (i.e. school enrollment) and often their placements are only short term. But the instability that comes from multiple ESC placements is central to many of the bonding/attachment problems that face foster babies. A child having experienced ESC placements prior to being placed with an Angels family will be insured of no more moves until he/she has a permanent placement plan, i.e. reunification or adoption.

Group Homes: These are homes whose specific function is caring for children who do not make it in traditional foster homes due to behavioral problems. Group homes are heavily regulated and staffed by child development professionals. The childrens' personal freedoms are limited by facility rules and curfews. Generally speaking, group homes care for children over 6 years of age, and Angels does not receive referrals from these homes.

To understand how Angels foster homes differ from the traditional county foster homes, see our Infants in Crisis project.

Call Now to Change a Child's Life
Call 805-884-0012 (effective 9/1/10) or contact us on-line to learn how you can make a donation or become a foster parent.