Children and Family Services
3250 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901-4840
Tel: (415) 473-2200 Fax: (415) 473-7162
24 Hour Hotline: (415) 473-7153

Children and Family Services

Children and Family Services (CFS) Emergency Response is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to receive and assess allegations of child abuse, neglect or exploitation. Each report is assessed to determine the level of response/information required to protect the child(ren). Children and Family Services will respond to all reports that rise to the standard of investigation immediately, or within ten calendar days as assessed.  If an in-person response is not required the report will be documented in our computer system.

Any incident of alleged or suspected child abuse, or a reasonable suspicion of abuse, which comes to your attention, should immediately be reported.  All reports should be made as soon as possible by telephone to (415) 473-7153 and you may download Suspected Child Abuse Report Form.

If the agency assesses that the children are at risk, Children and Family Services will assign a Social Worker to work with the family. Children and Family Services can provide services to children and their families both when the children remain in the home (Family Maintenance) and when they must be placed with relatives or in foster care (Family Reunification). Children can remain in care until the family crisis has passed and the family is ready to care for the children safely. If it is not possible for the children to return to the family home, Children and Family Services will plan for, or provide, their care.

Among the services Children and Family Services can provide are:

• Case Management
• Family and Individual Therapy
• Child Care
• Respite Care
• Parenting Classes
• Referrals to Community Resources

Please call the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services, at (415) 473-2200 to receive information regarding child abuse and neglect. To report an incident of child abuse or neglect call (415) 473-7153; a Social Worker is available 24 hours a day to respond to your call.

Foster Care and Fost-Adopt Parenting

Children who need foster (temporary) or fost-adopt (potentially permanent) homes are of all races and from all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Most of the children are school age. Some are sisters and brothers who do not want to live apart. They have experienced separation from family and the effects of abuse or neglect, but they are still growing and learning and can blossom in a family able to offer them safety.

Overview

The child welfare staff members protect children from abuse and neglect, and work with birth families to help them keep their children safe. When children must be removed from their birth families, they are placed in temporary foster homes. In most cases, birth parents are provided with services for six to eighteen months to help them reunify (reunite) with their children. If it appears as though reunification may not occur, children are placed in fost-adopt homes. The goal continues to be family reunification, but if the birth parent is not successful, the fost-adopt family may adopt the children.

Foster Care and Fost-Adopt Opportunities

Become a Foster Parent: As a foster parent, you open your home to a child(ren) needing temporary care. On average, children usually live with their foster families from three to twelve months. Children enter foster care because their biological families are presently unable to take care of them. Foster families provide loving and stable homes until the children can be reunited with their own parents or move on to an alternative permanent home. Adults of all ages and ethnic backgrounds and families of all compositions are needed. You may be single, part of a couple (married or not), male or female, a renter or homeowner. You receive a monthly stipend to help meet the children's basic needs.

Become a Fost-Adopt Parent: "Fost-Adopt" allows parents who are prepared for both foster and adoptive parenting to provide a unique kind of home: as a fost-adopt parent you foster a child(ren) with the potential for adopting him or her. Financial support is available.

We also accept applications for families interested in traditional, low risk or no risk adoptions. Nearly all the children in these situations are older children, teens and sibling groups.

Getting Started

Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a foster or fost-adopt parent is invited to an orientation. Co-facilitated by a social worker and a foster and/or fost-adopt parent, information regarding the children and their needs as well as an account of what it is really like to be a foster or fost-adopt parent will be presented.

Schedule of Orientations on Foster Care and Fost-Adopt Parenting:

Upcoming orientation dates are:

These orientations are held from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Driving directions and maps in several languages to the Health and Wellness Campus can be found at Health & Wellness Campus.

County Contact
Cindy Wasserman, MSW
Marin County Department of Health and Human Services
Division of Social Services
3250 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA. 94901-4840
(415) 473-5028
E-Mail: cwasserman@marincounty.org

Requirements for Foster Parents

It all starts with the willingness to open your heart and home to a child who needs you.

There are, however, some very basic requirements that need to be met by all families interested in foster care, or in fost-adopt parenting. This list is brief and encompasses the most common conditions that must be met in order for a license to be issued.

• Your residence must be located in Marin County and must meet basic health and safety standards established by the State of California.
• The home must have sufficient bedrooms so that adults and children have separate bedrooms. Children may share a bedroom. Adults may share a bedroom with one to two children under age two.
• Rooms commonly used for other purposes (e.g., dining room, hallway or garage) cannot be used as a bedroom by any member of the household.
• Each applicant must have sufficient income to meet his or her own family's financial needs.
• A criminal record check will be conducted on each applicant and adult in the foster or fost-adopt home.
• Adult caretakers must be in reasonably good health and free of communicable diseases, especially TB. TB tests are required.
• Each licensed home must have a working (land line) telephone; alternatively a cell phone must be available to children for emergency purposes.
• The main caretakers of the children and any other member of the household over the age of 18 who might provide care for the child must be certified in CPR and First Aid. We can assist you in locating an appropriate class.

Who can become a Foster Parent

• Be over 21, in good physical and emotional health.
• You may be married or single.
• Have the necessary skills, stamina and patience to deal effectively with children who may have emotional or physical problems.
• Have sufficient income to support your own family without relying on foster care payments.
• Obtain a state foster care license. That process includes
providing references, health clearances, and fingerprints, plus in-home visits from an agency worker.
• Work as a cooperative team member with other children's service specialists including agency workers, court representatives, and health care professionals.
• Be accepting of the temporary nature of foster care. This means supporting efforts to reunite foster children with their families, or when that is not possible, preparing them to move on to a permanent home.

Fost-Adopt Parenting

Last year, Marin County found loving adoptive homes for approximately 30 children through the fost-adopt program. This year, maybe we can help you add to your family.

We have an innovative program called Concurrent Planning. This means that we can place children with a potential adoptive home while we continue working with the birth family, providing reunification services. We believe this benefits the children since it reduces the amount of time they must wait for a permanent family.

In the Concurrent Planning program, fost-adopt parents are foster parents and prospective adoptive parents at the same time. They provide love and stability to children we believe will probably need adoptive families since the likelihood that their birth families will reunify is low.

Children in this program are foster children at the time of placement. Fost-adopt parents are asked to cooperate with the reunification plan, which may include visits between the birth parents and the child. If reunification with the birth family does not occur, fost-adopt parents may then pursue adoption.

If you are a Marin County resident, please learn more by attending one of our monthly information meetings. Call (415) 473-5028 for details, or see above, "Schedule of Information meetings on Foster care and Fost-Adopt Parenting."

Training and The Application Process

Caring for children as a foster or fost-adopt parent is a rewarding and challenging experience. We therefore provide families with emotional and financial support as well as professional training. When someone chooses to be a foster or fost-adopt parent they become a very important member of a team of professionals who are dedicated to the welfare of the children.

Before a child can be placed in a home, potential foster and fost-adopt parents must obtain a license to provide care to foster children. The first step in obtaining a license is to attend an orientation held by Marin County (see above). After attending an information meeting, families meet with a social worker for an individual orientation.

The next steps toward eligibility include:

• Participating in an 18 hour introductory training program
• Completing an application
• Becoming certified in infant and child CPR
• Passing criminal record and child abuse index clearances (fingerprinting)

In addition, we provide ongoing training and support, designed to enhance the ability of the foster or fost-adopt family to meet the complex needs of our children.

Emotional and Financial Support

Each child placed with you will have a social worker. Social workers, for example, play a key role in the foster child's life and are readily available to assist foster and fost-adopt parents in their efforts. In addition to coordinating birth parent visits, court appearances, and therapeutic services, social workers are oftentimes a foster family's link to a variety of resources.

Additionally, there are groups such as the Foster Parent Association Marin Chapter. The main goals of the FPA are to inform, educate and support the foster and fost-adopt family community in Marin County.

Lastly, financial assistance is also available for individuals who become foster parents. Basic foster care providers receive approximately $450 to $635 per child, per month. Specialized foster care providers receive a higher rate (approximately $1000 to $2000 per child, per month) to care for children with more complex and serious special needs. The higher rate also reflects the provider's level of experience and expertise. Every child receives Medi-Cal to meet medical and mental health needs.

When a child is legally adopted, financial support is usually provided on a monthly basis through the Adoption Assistance Program, until the child is 18. The adoption itself is free through the county.

Foster Care Benefits

Foster Care benefits provide cash aid on behalf of needy children in foster care who meet the eligibility requirements established by County, State and Federal law and regulation. Relative caregivers may be eligible to receive foster care benefits in certain circumstances.

Basic Foster Care Rates

The basic monthly amount paid for eligible children in foster family homes is based on the child's age. The rates effective July 1, 2012, are:

Special Care Increments

Children in foster family homes who are eligible for foster care benefits may qualify for a supplemental payment if the child requires special care above the level that the foster caregiver would normally be expected to provide for a child that age. The child's special care needs may be due to physical, emotional or behavioral problems.

The level of the payment is based on both the extent of the child's problems and what the foster caregiver is doing to help correct the problems, including how much extra time is involved. Difficulty of Care increments in Marin County range from $38 per month to a maximum of $312 per month in addition to the basic rate.

The type and amount of specialized care rates vary by county. The rate paid is usually the one that applies to the county in which the child is placed.

Specialized Foster Homes

Some families become specialized foster homes who care for children whose needs exceed those of children placed in basic foster care homes. Specialized home rates range from $1,081 to a maximum of $2,093 for children with the most severe needs. One must meet certain education / experience requirements to become a specialized home.

Clothing Allowance

Children in foster care may qualify for clothing allowances. The type and amount of clothing allowances vary by county. The rate paid is the one that applies to the county in which the child is placed.

The annual clothing allowance in Marin County as of January 1, 2008:

An initial clothing allowance of $81 is issued for each child placed in foster care. The annual clothing allowance payment is based on the child's age:

Annual clothing allowance for children age 0-6: $169
Annual clothing allowance for children age 7-19: $227

Kin-GAP

The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Payment program (Kin-GAP) is a permanency option for children in long-term foster care placements with relative caregivers who have become the child's legal guardian. To be eligible to receive a Kin-GAP payment all of the following conditions must be met:

• The child was dependent of the juvenile Court placed with the relative for at least 12 consecutive months before the guardianship was ordered by the juvenile Court and before dependency was dismissed.
• The social worker assessed the relative caregiver and determined that he or she no longer needed the supervision of a social worker or the juvenile Court and was ready and able to leave the foster care system.
• The relative guardianship was ordered by the Juvenile Court.
• The juvenile court dependency was dismissed on or after January 1, 2000.
• The child is a US citizen, US national or has lawful immigration status.

Kin-GAP payments are equal to the basic family home rate for the county in which the child resides. Children receiving Kin-GAP are not entitled to receive Special Needs Increments but they do receive clothing allowances.

Family Child Care Home Licensing

The Marin County Division of Social Services no longer provides licensing for family day care homes in Marin. For information please contact the Community Care Licensing Division with the State of California at http://www.ccld.ca.gov/contact.htm.