Child Welfare and Foster Care

Foster Care Amid Coronavirus: How AFS Continues Critical Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Alternative Family Services / April 7, 2020
pandemic

The ongoing spread of novel coronavirus is impacting all of us, and the COVID-19 pandemic is especially effecting the foster care and child welfare system. As youth continue to be…

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Unpacking Foster Meaning

By Alternative Family Services / March 24, 2019
Meaning of Foster

Curious about what the “foster” in foster care means? Let’s unpack the term in the realm of child welfare.  What does foster mean? If you look up “foster” in the dictionary,…

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What is a Resource Parent?

By Alternative Family Services / March 3, 2019
A resource parent

Have you seen the term “resource parent” or “resource family” used on our site and wondered, what is a Resource Parent? Why do we and others in the child welfare space use…

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What Can Be Done to Help Children in Foster Care?

By Alternative Family Services / January 30, 2019
parent and child

Close to 56,000 children are in the foster care system in California, a number that has unfortunately remained relatively steady since 2011. In the greater Bay Area, between two and seven of every…

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Guardianship vs. Adoption vs. Foster Care: What are the Differences?

By Alternative Family Services / January 25, 2019

When it comes to the care of non-biological children in California and elsewhere in the United States, there are many terms you should know. Let’s break down three of them:…

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Where Do You End Up Living After the Foster Care Process Ends?

By Alternative Family Services / October 21, 2018
Independent living

Typically, most discussions around foster youth and their families center around their time in the care of Resource Parents, away from their biological parents. But what happens when they are…

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