More Latino Foster Parents Sought In L.A. County

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA — Los Angeles County is set Wednesday to launch a new campaign to recruit more Latino foster parents.

More than half of the 19,000 children in the county's foster care system are Latino and looking for foster homes that share their language and culture, county officials said.

Supervisor Hilda Solis will join Department of Children and Family Services Director Bobby Cagle and Rigoberto Reyes, executive director of the Office of Immigrant Affairs, to kick off the bilingual campaign -- Juntos con los Ninos or Together with the Children.

Children in foster care with at least one caring adult in their lives have significantly better lifetime outcomes than those who do not, experts say, and Los Angeles County has struggled to find enough stable homes for children in need.

DCFS emphasizes its support for foster families. Social workers can help connect foster parents to child care, school options and other resources. Every foster child is automatically enrolled in Medi-Cal and families also receive a monthly stipend to help support children's needs, including a back-to- school clothing allowance.

The department also works to counter myths about foster parenting. For example, many foster parents -- also called resource families -- have no biological children of their own. Many are not stay-at-home parents, but still manage to provide a stable environment while working full time.

Families interested in more information about the steps involved in becoming a foster parent or in attending an orientation session to learn more can find information at www.FosterLAKids.com or by calling 888-811-1121.

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--City News Service