Welcome to Strengthening VC Families, a program of Ventura County Children and Family Services.
Thank you for your interest in learning more about how you can make a difference in the life of a child or older youth in Ventura County by taking the first steps to becoming a resource family.
On this page, you can learn all about what a resource family is, and how valuable you are to children, youth and families. Also, there is information about what you can expect, and what your main responsibilities and loving work will entail.
What is a resource family?
At a moment’s notice, children and youth (ages 0-17) may need an immediate placement to ensure that they are safe. We need loving resource families to step up to protect the children while strengthening the biological family as they receive the support they need to get back on their feet. It is our goal to reunify children with their biological families whenever it is safely possible.
By becoming a resource family, you will not only be making a large impact on a child’s life, but also adding value and joy to you and your family during the process of helping children, youth and families. We hope to have you onboard soon!
What are resource family responsibilities?
Thank you, again, for learning more about becoming a resource family.
As a resource parent, you are now the guardian to a child who may be experiencing trauma and your sole purpose is to ensure that they feel safe, loved, and accepted. Children and older youth in care will be looking up to you for support, guidance, and mentorship, and it is your responsibility to ensure they have a safe and stable environment to be vulnerable, while their biological parents receive the help they need to move toward reunification if safely possible.
Resource Family responsibilities:
Ensure children have adequate sleeping and living provisions and that their homes comply with state regulations
Coordinate doctors’ visits and checkups to ensure the child in your care is healthy and up to date on vaccinations
Ensure that children are enrolled at or attending school
Work closely with your assigned social worker to ensure the child in your care has access to visitation and communication with their biological parents whenever safely possible
The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI) is one of Strengthening VC Families approach to strengthening the quality of care provided to children and youth living in foster care. The goal of QPI is to develop a systematic approach to recruiting and supporting high-quality caregivers in our community and improving the quality of care for children by redefining the expectations of and support for resource parents.
When QPI is successful, caregivers have a voice, not only in issues that affect the children they are caring for, but also in the way the system treats children and families. Resource families, agency staff and birth parents work as a team to support children and youth. Resource families receive the support and training they need to work with children and families and know what is expected as well as what to expect. Systems are then able to select and support enough excellent fostering families to meet the needs of each child.
If you have a little extra room in your home and a little extra love in your heart, please consider becoming a resource parent.
In addition to becoming a resource family, Strengthening VC Families offers other meaningful ways to support our children and ALL families such as:
Our Resource Family Orientation video session allows the convenience of completing the Resource Family Approval Orientation online. Please click on the LEARN MORE below and follow the next steps to becoming a Homes With Heart VC parent.
We are thankful for your interest in volunteering to help our foster youth
and the families that care for them! Homes With Heart VC partners with the following organizations to support our families in ensuring children in care thrive. Please take a look and see what areas interest you.
Housing is a barrier for youth that have been in care and are now emerging adults; contact the housing navigator, RaisingHOPE at info@raisinghope.org to learn more about becoming a host home.
There are so many ways businesses and community leaders can help children and their Resource families. Become a proud Businesses with Heart Partner!
Is your faith community looking to outreach? We invite faith communities who care about highly vulnerable children to join our work towards hearts mended, families restored, and hope renewed.
