If you care about children and you’re reading this, the likely answer is 

Yes.

Foster parents are vital members of the safety net of people and services that protect, care for and help heal Sonoma County children and teens who’ve suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment at home. Our foster parents tell us that caring for a foster child enriches both the child's life and their own.

When a child is moved from an unsafe home, the Family, Youth and Children’s Division strives to stabilize the family so parents can reunite with their children. Temporary foster parents provide a safe haven for children and youth until safety and stability is possible.

Foster parenting is also the first step to adopt a child who cannot safely return home.

They do need to be loving, patient, flexible and willing to help children cope with tough times.

They also need the skills to team with important people in the child’s life, including the birth parents, allowing each to have a voice.

Foster parents are single adults, straight or gay, families with children or without. They are the child’s relatives or familiar friends, such as neighbors, family friends, coaches or teachers.

If this sounds like you,

learn more about becoming a foster parent at one of our monthly Explore Foster Parenting meetings, or call (707) 545-4274 to talk with our caring professional staff about how you can give the gift of family to a child in need.

Every day, children and teens are waiting for homes. Please contact us today.