Foster Families Needed in Stanislaus County

Foster Families Needed in Stanislaus County

Stanislaus County Probation partners with Aspiranet to find foster families for youth.

(Stanislaus County, Calif.) Aspiranet, in partnership with the Stanislaus County Probation Department, is seeking adults to serve as foster families for youth on probation. Families who have experience caring for or working with youth (ages 13 to 19 years old) who have been in at-risk situations or who would like to learn more about helping are encouraged to visit www.aspiranet.org/hope.

The movement toward securing more foster families for youth on probation is part of California’s current foster care reform effort (Continuum of Care Reform) which focuses on the premise that youth who must live apart from their birth families are most successful in a nurturing family home. The Youth Law Center’s June 2016 report noted the critical need to use family-based placements to improve probation supervised youths’ ability to develop permanent connections, establish stability, and to successfully engage in school and employment.

Youth who are on probation are often placed in group homes due to a lack of available foster families. A home environment with a foster family provides youth with additional support, and an advocate who can help them be successful in moving forward. Stanislaus County is partnering with Aspiranet to increase the number of families available to youth on probation with the goal of maximizing positive outcomes.

Angel Fuentes, a former foster youth, talks about being supported in the transition from juvenile hall to a foster family. “It made me realize every time I elevate or do something good, that it’s very important to bring someone else up because if they hadn’t done that for me, I don’t know where I’d be today.”

“We believe all young people deserve a strong foundation from which to launch their futures. Youth who have been in at-risk situations need guidance and opportunities to move their lives forward in hopeful ways,” said Diane Warne, Aspiranet Foster and Adoptive Families Division Director.

Families interested in fostering probation youth will have support from Aspiranet through training, weekly home visits and 24 hour on-call support. Each youth will also have an assigned Probation Officer who is available to provide guidance and resources, so families and youth can be successful.

About Aspiranet
Aspiranet is a 501(c) (3), California nonprofit organization with the mission of providing children, youth, and families with a foundation of support and services so they can succeed at home, at school, and in their communities. Aspiranet offers a unique blend of services including foster family support, adoption through foster care, services for foster youth transitioning to adulthood, mental health services, residential care, intensive home-based care, and community-based family resources. For more than 40 years, Aspiranet has been dedicated to offering outstanding services that impact more than 35,000 children, youth and parents at 33 community-based sites statewide.

For more information, visit www.aspiranet.org. ###