About Fostering

Seneca Services Foster Care About Fostering Overview

What is Foster Care?

Some young people are not able to be cared for by their own family. Foster care provides a safe place to live for those youth for as long as they need it.

For some youth, this may be a short-term need while their family is supported in growing their skills and resources to be able to provide a safe and nurturing home. For others, this might mean finding 
a family willing to provide permanent care through adoption or guardianship.

Every family’s story is different, but they all rely on support from their community to navigate difficult moments in their lives.

Foster Parent Requirements

There are some basic requirements to be a foster parent, but the following qualities are also important:

  • Openness to meeting a young person where they are.
  • Willingness to support a youth’s existing connections.
  • Self-awareness and self-reflection.
  • Openness to suggestions and ideas for parenting.
  • Willingness to prioritize the young person’s needs and best interests.
  • Above all, flexibility, curiosity, and an open mind!

Now, about those requirements. Foster parents must be at least 25 years old, have an existing, stable income, have adequate space in their home, have a valid driver’s license, be able to provide transportation in case of an emergency, and be able to pass a background check. Learn more about the steps needed on our Become a Foster Parent page.

Become A Foster Parent

Intensive Services Foster Care

Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) is a foster care program designed for children and teens who have higher emotional, behavioral, or medical needs due to past trauma, neglect, or other serious challenges. By opening your home to a child, you’ll play a critical role in their healing journey. All Seneca resource parents receive our comprehensive training and support throughout their time caring for a youth in foster care. Resource parents receive a stipend to supplement the cost of caring for the youth in their care. ISFC parents work closely with a team of therapists, social workers, and other specialists to create a stable, nurturing environment that helps youth thrive.

Enhanced Services Foster Care

Enhanced Intensive Services Foster Care (E-ISFC) is a highly specialized level of foster care designed for children and youth with complex needs. These young people may have experienced significant trauma, multiple placements, or may require intensive therapeutic support to help them heal and grow. As an Enhanced ISFC foster parent, you’ll receive extensive, specialized training and ongoing support tailored to the specific needs of the child in your care. You’ll also have 24/7 access to staff support and respite care options. These caregivers receive a generous stipend to supplement their care and housing expenses to help provide the high level of structure, supervision, and compassion these youth need. This is a demanding role — but also one of the most rewarding. As a dedicated caregiver, you can help a child stabilize, build trust, and move toward a brighter future.

Respite Care

Respite Care offers short-term, temporary care for children in foster care — giving their full-time foster families a break while ensuring the child remains in a safe, stable, and supportive environment. These planned breaks can range from a few hours to a weekend or more, depending on the needs of the child and family. As a respite care provider, you help prevent caregiver burnout, support placement stability, and offer children a positive, nurturing experience with another trusted adult. Respite care is a great option for those who want to support foster youth but may not be ready or able to commit to full-time fostering. Respite caregivers receive the same high-quality training as resource parents but may not need to meet the standard approval requirements. Many foster parents start as respite caregivers to test the waters.

Why Foster with Seneca?

Seneca offers professional learning communities (PLCs) of all types and areas of focus. For example, Seneca’s LEaD-In 101 professional development community is intended for future and current leaders who are looking to achieve the next level of leadership skills at Seneca. The LEaD-In process uses readings, group conversations and individual reflection to assist in creating actionable goals for leadership and program improvement.

Become a Foster Parent
Seneca Services Foster Care About Fostering Why

FAQs

Enhanced Caregivers make short-term commitments to providing safe, loving homes for high-needs youth in houses provided by Seneca Family of Agencies. These placements range from 30 days to 6 months and focus on providing therapeutic services in a family home setting.

Seneca welcomes individuals who are:

  • At least 25 years old.
  • Of any marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity
  • Willing to move into a furnished home provided by Seneca
  • Able to pass a health and criminal background screening

Seneca’s Enhanced Caregivers receive free furnished housing provided by Seneca, as well as a generous monthly stipend.

The approval process typically takes 2-3 months but can be flexible depending on the situation of the applicant(s), the needs of the program, and availability of an Enhanced home.

The typical age range is from 11-17. Youth can identify in many different ways as related to ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic background, or culture. Seneca is committed to providing a safe, accepting, and supportive environment for all individuals. It is the expectation that all Resource Families with Seneca are open to and affirming of all youth identities.

Visits from friends and family are encouraged with consideration around the specific needs and experiences for the youth in care. Caregivers are welcome to maintain their relationships with people important to them. Any regular visitors will need to be fully background checked and we would encourage them to attend some of our trainings.

Pets are considered for approval on a case-by-case basis. Each pet will need to have up to date vaccination records and will need to be evaluated by a professional pet trainer to assess for any behavioral concerns. Each Enhanced program may have a specific pet policy depending on facility considerations.

Due to the level of need expressed by program youth we ask that our Enhanced Caregivers do not have other children residing in the home.

Enhanced Caregivers do not need to be married or in any sort of partnership. Seneca welcomes individuals who are single and/or divorced, in addition to married couples and domestic partners.

You may have heard the term “trauma-informed” before. It sounds like technical social services jargon, but the concept is pretty simple. And when you can start looking at those around you through a trauma-informed lens, it can help build a more compassionate community.

Here’s the thing: Our life experiences matter! Trauma and hardships can shape us, both in our coping skills and in our resilience. Being trauma-informed simply means staying curious about what people have been through. This can build compassion and understanding.

Realizing some behaviors are the result of trauma can help us better see the person behind the behavior. This is true for people of all ages and life circumstances.

A trauma-informed community is one that holds space and accountability, and provides empowerment while offering curiosity and compassion.

Kids in foster care are just that: KIDS! They need the same things every kid needs to thrive, including:

  • Expressions of love and affection
  • Routine and structure in the home
  • Rewards and consequences
  • Emotional and behavioral management techniques
  • Access to resources and support (for kids in foster care this can look like therapy, visits with family members, etc.)
  • Supervision and care Extracurricular activities
  • A community (that’s you!) that supports them and is rooting for their success

    In particular, kids in foster care need:
  • Loving, patient caregivers committed to helping them heal and grow
  • Access to their existing connections and communities
  • Access to communities and supports that reflect their identities
  • Unconditional love and care
  • Attachment-based and trauma-informed parenting strategies

    Seneca works with resource parents and the court system to ensure kids in foster care also have a chance at:
  • Reunification with their parents—studies show kids do best when they can be safely reunited with their parents
  • Individualized care
  • Unconditional positive regard: There are no bad kids, just kids in bad circumstances

Let’s Connect

We offer foster care services in all Bay Area counties and San Luis Obispo County. Please get in touch by filling out the form below. You can also contact us at [email protected] or 877-380-5300. We look forward to hearing from you!

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