Out-of-home care

Out-of-home care, commonly known as foster care, is a protective service for children who have been removed from their families because of child abuse, neglect or special family circumstances. In out-of-home care, a foster child could be placed with approved resource families to provide temporary/short-term care. The goal of our out-of-home care program is to maintain the foster child in a safe, nurturing, and loving environment, which is supportive of their development while the biological family can resume responsibility and custody or until an alternative permanent placement for the child is found. In Kern County there are over 2,500 youths in out-of-home care. At Victory Family Services we are committed to recruit, train, approve, and offer continuous support to our Resource Families.

What is a resource family?

Resource family is the new term California applies to caregivers who provide out-of-home care for children in foster care. A resource family is an approved family composed of a parent or parents who provide a safe home for children in out-of-home care while their family can resume responsibility or custody of the child or a permanent placement plan is found. The role of a resource family is vital in the system. Resource families work hard to provide these children education, support, and care to achieve their personal goals. Resource families are rich in nurture, love, knowledge, life skills, and are financially stable; all of which can be used to help shore up a child’s future opportunities.

There is an ongoing need for resource families in general, but there is also a need for resource parents who can provide emergency care, respite care, care for sibling sets, children with behavioral challenges, specialty placements, children with developmental disabilities, and older youth.

Characteristics of successful resource families

Tolerance & Patience

They recognize that there are no bad children, just children who have learned bad habits.

Compassion & Empathy

They are kind-hearted people who understand that children have endured trauma in their lives and want to alleviate their pain.

Humility, a Positive Attitude, & Sense of Humor

They realize that people, adults as well as kids, make wrong decisions. They are willing to admit mistakes, learn from them, and teach kids to do the same.

A Belief in Their Own Competence as Parents

They like to “parent,” to help kids learn the important lessons in life.

The Ability to work as part of a Team

As a resource parent, you will work with social workers, teachers, birth parents and others who are part of the child’s life.

Benefits of being a resource parent

The joy and satisfaction of knowing:

• You’ve given a foster child the care and stability needed
• You have been a role model and provided a foster child with lessons they will take with them throughout their lives
• You’ve set a positive example for how healthy families should function
• You have truly changed a foster child’s life

Become a resource parent today and help a foster child in need.