Resource Parenting

Becoming a resource parent is one of the most purposeful and rewarding choices you can make in your life. Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency seeks stable, responsible and responsive resource parents to meet the needs of some of foster children. Becoming a partner with Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency to bring traumatized children the care, love and support they need makes a huge difference in the lives of the children we serve and in our communities. In addition, it will transform your life! Who Can Become A Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency Resource Parent? Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency welcomes individuals who: • Are at least 21 years old. • Are single or married. • Have a pre-existing, sustainable income. • Are renters or homeowners with enough room for at least one foster youth. • Are able to pass a health screening and rigorous criminal background check. • Are not currently certified as a resource parent or relative care giver with another agency or county. What Benefits will Resource Parents Receive? Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency provides excellent support and compensation to resource parents. You are not alone in caring for Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency foster children. Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency offers whatever it takes to help you create stability and healing for foster youth. Some of the benefits we offer include: • Weekly home visits from social workers. • Generous tax-free monthly stipend • 24/7 on-call crisis support from Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency experts • Monthly foster parent support meetings for resource parents and their foster children • Ongoing, free training and skills development What are the Steps to Become a Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency Resource Parent? Here are the steps involved in becoming certified as a Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency resource parent: Step 1: Attend an Orientation: Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency orientations are held on a walk-in or appointment basis. Please call (909) 514-0670 or send an email. Step 2: These activities will take place simultaneously: ◦ Trainings: Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency requires that all resource parents receive 12 hours of training. We provide Saturday courses upon request. ◦ Health Screenings & Background Check: Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency requires that all prospective resource parents pass a health screening and rigorous criminal background check with the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the California Child Abuse Index. ◦ Application: Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency application requires you to complete a number of documents, including a budget demonstrating your ability to live on your current income, DMV report, and other items. When this is successfully completed and accepted, we begin the home study. ◦ Home Studies: You will have two visits from Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency social workers who will review your lifestyle, personal history, family dynamics and home setting. • Step 4: Final Walk through: Finally, your home is re-visited with the goal of making sure that it now fully complies with state regulations to be a Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency - certified resource home. • Step 5: Certification: Once all of the above requirements have been met, you may be certified as a Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency resource parent, and begin receiving phone calls to tell you about the children we have ready for placement. Certification allows you the option of accepting or declining children who come from Riverside and San Bernardino Counties.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the requirements for being a resource parent?

You can be single or married, over the age of 21, and have NO serious criminal record. You will complete the Agency application, submit documents such as your DMV Record, CPR and First Aid Certificates and a physical and TB test. Resource families must be willing to have their homes safety inspected and are required to complete pre-certification training and maintain ongoing training annually. All training is conducted by a Master-level social worker.

Do I have to make a lot of money to be a resource parent?

Each family submits a budget that reflects the ability to financially meet the needs of your family. Greenhouse Family Services provides financial support for each child placed in your home.

Can resource parents work outside the home?

Yes. Resource parents may continue to wok outside the home. You must arrange to have childcare during the time you are away from the child.

Can single people apply to be resource parents?

Yes. Each family must demonstrate that they have arranged childcare to support the needs of the child.

What are the requirements for transporting children?

Vehicles must be operable and able to seat each placed child including any biological children in the home.

Will I meet the child before he/she is placed in my home?

Unfortunately No. Most often children who are placed into our homes as foster children need immediate care and placement.

Will I get to choose the age and/or sex of the child placed in my home?

Yes. When you complete the Greenhouse Family Services Application, you inform us of your preferred age range, and sex of child you prefer. You may change your preferences at any time if you notify the Agency.

Once I am certified, how long will it take to get a foster child placed in my home?

The timing of placements depends on the situation of the foster children in the foster system. We match children to available homes based on the child’s needs, your criteria (age, sex, siblings, etc.) and the criteria of the placing social worker. Placements may be made within a couple days of being licensed or can take several months.

Can the foster child go to the school my children attend?

For continuity of education services, foster children are generally placed in foster homes in their "home" school district. If this is not feasible, resource parents may enroll the children into the same schools their children attend.

Does it cost anything to become a resource parent?

There are minimal out-of-pocket costs associated with completion of the Live Scan (fingerprinting) and the CPR/First Aid training. In addition, there may be out-of-pocket expenses related to ensuring your home meets the home safety checklist and these expenses are not reimbursed.

Children in Foster Care

There are nearly 80,000 children in the foster care system in California, many of whom have been abused and/or neglected, and are in need of the stable, loving home environment that resource parents can provide. These children range in age from newborn to mid-teens and include various ethnic backgrounds including Caucasian, Hispanic, African American, Pacific Islander and mixed races. We will ask you which ages and ethnicity's you are most comfortable with and Bright Horizons's social workers and county placement workers will work as a team to provide the best possible matches between resource families and children.

Overview of our Foster Care Services

Serving Riverside, San Bernardino, and Orange Counties since 2007, Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency is a private, non-profit Foster Care Agency licensed by the State of California. Our Master's level Social Workers have many years of combined experience in child and family services and we take pride in the services we provide to resource parents and the children in their care. Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency is dedicated to working closely with our resource parents as a team of professionals in caring for children. We offer a full range of support services to our resource parents, including:

24 hour on call service.
Weekly home visits.
Initial training completed at our office, free of charge.
Crisis intervention.
Education and Treatment Planning.
Monthly compensation.

We understand that the resource parenting process can be overwhelming. Bright Horizons Foster Family Agency pledges that our staff will competently assist you from your first call or visit with care, support, courtesy and professionalism. If you'd like to take the first step or have additional questions, please contact us to schedule an appointment for an orientation meeting.

Overview of the Resource Family Application Process

Step 1 Potential Resource Parent completes the Pre-Certification Questionnaire.
Step 2 All adults in the home are instructed to be finger printed. Live Scanned documents can be picked up at office or it can be mailed.
Step 3 After clearance is obtained by Recruitment Coordinator, you will be contacted to be scheduled for 12 hours of P.R.I.D.E. Training. Clearance of DOJ, FBI, CACI & CCL
Step 4 Potential Resource Parent completes application during training.
Step 5 Potential Resource Parent references are contacted and reference questionnaire is completed either by phone or mailed out.
Step 6 After completion of Pride Training, Potential Resource Parent is scheduled for a Home Study with a Master’s Level Agency Social Worker.
Step 7 After Home Study report is received and reviewed by Recruitment Coordinator and Administrator a decision is then made to move forward in the certification process or deny further continuance. If decision is made to continue with certification a Home Inspection is then scheduled.
Step 8 CPR/First Aid is scheduled for those in need.
Step 9 After Home Inspection is completed and home is ready for placement, the FFA Application Request is then submitted to the relevant county in which the Potential Resource Parent resides.
Step 10 After County Authorization for Placement is received Resource Parent is then contacted of their approval and added to vacancy roster.

Requirements to Become a Resource Parent

Willingness to work in partnership with the case worker and others in planning for a child.
Minimum age of 21.
Background clearances including: DOJ, FBI and Child Abuse index for all adults (18 and older) in the home.
A home or apartment that meets safety requirements.
A separate bedroom with a bed for each child.
Proof of adequate income to support your own family.
Completion of 12 hours of pre-certification training.
The ability to meet state regulations for resource parents.
A vehicle in good running condition, auto insurance, DMV printout and a copy of driver’s license.
CPR and First Aid certification for resource parents and adults in the home,
Health screening and proof of negative TB test for resource parents and adults in the home.

The Resource Parent Home Study

Home studies of the applicant, the applicant’s family, and the applicant’s home environment will be done to determine whether the home would be safe and appropriate for children in foster care. Onsite home visits are conducted to assess the suitability of the home to accommodate the needs of all family members, including the foster children. The condition of the home is evaluated to determine whether it is clean, safe, comfortable, and in conformance with agency regulations. Our agency social worker will conduct interviews with the applicants and all family members to assess their suitability to provide appropriate care for children in foster care. Personal references are contacted for further information. To ensure that the resource parents are healthy enough to provide appropriate care, the social worker may require the results of recent health examinations. Checks of criminal records and child abuse and neglect records also are included in the study.

The Placement Process

In placing a child in a foster home, an agency tries to find a home that best suits the child’s needs. The general rule in foster care is to place the child in the least restrictive, most family like placement appropriate to meet the needs of the child. Placement of a child cannot be delayed or denied based on race, color, or national origin of the child or the foster parent.

Children are referred generally by the counties the agency is contracted to receive children from.
The agency reviews the request and the background information on the children to make sure there is a suitable home for the counties request.
The agency contacts the Certified Resource Parent offers the information given to us by the relevant county to help the Certified Resource Parent make an informed decision to accept placement.
If placement is accepted by the Certified Resource Parent the county will submit the certified home to the requesting CSW.
School grade and any educational issues.
After the Certified home is accepted for placement, information needed for placement will be given to appropriate parties.

Resource Parent Responsibilities

Provide temporary care for children, giving them a safe, stable, nurturing environment
Cooperate with the agency social worker, county social worker and state representatives and the child’s parents in
To follow and abide by all agency policies and procedures
Carrying out the child’s permanency plan, including participating in that plan
Supervise court ordered visitations for children placed in their homes and reporting any unsafe and unusual behaviors during visitsEffective communicate with your agency, agency social worker, county social worker and all state representatives
Understand the need for, and goals of family visits
Help the child cope with the separation from his or her home
Provide guidance, appropriate discipline, a good example, and as many positive experiences as possible
Encourage school attendance and participate in teacher conferences and keep the child’s Agency Social Worker informed about any special education needs
Work with the agency in arranging for the child’s regular and special medical and dental care
Remain current on continued education training as a Resource Parent
Provide transportation for foster children
Keep children’s and their parent’s detail of their case confidential
Work with the child to create a life book
Inform the agency social worker promptly about any problems or concerns so needs can be met through available services
Inform agency social worker about all emergencies
Ensuring personal rights of children placed in your home are recognized and respected
Comply with applicable statutes and regulation that address the role and functions of a resource parent.

Description of the Juvenile Court Dependency Process

The Juvenile Dependency Court is responsible for processing all matters involving minors under the age of 18, which have been a victim of neglect or abuse by their guardians or parents. The main goal of the Dependency Court is to provide safety for these children and to ensure that the children receive a permanent home, either through re-unification with their parents, long term foster care or through adoption.