What is Foster Care?
There are over 250 children currently in foster care in Santa Cruz County. They have been removed from their parents due to abuse or neglect. While about half of these children are able to live with relatives, many cannot and are in need of loving foster families while their parents try to provide a safe home for them. Without enough foster homes, children are removed not only from their parents, but from their friends, schools, communities and sometimes even languages. Families for teens and sibling sets are especially in need.
Foster families provide loving homes to foster children, while the children's parents work with the court and Family and Children's Services to safely regain custody of their children.
Who can be a foster parent?
To be a foster parent you'll need to:
- Enjoy meeting new people and undertaking new experiences.
- Help children and youth reach their full potential.
- Understand the needs of children in foster care.
- Care for children who may have complex needs.
- Help children to feel confident and happy while being supportive of their family relationships.
People with a variety of life experiences and from all religious, ethnic, cultural backgrounds and orientations can become successful foster parents. Foster parents may be single, married, divorced, with children, without children, LGBT, younger or older. They may rent or own their home. We are looking for people of quality who will open their hearts to our children as well as their homes.