We place Angels babies and toddlers with high-quality local resource families who provide love and care until the court decides the child's permanent path. All families must meet the requirements for fostering in the state of California. Angels Foster Care families are also required to have at least one full-time parent in the home, commit to fostering each Angels child until permanency is reached, and only foster one child or sibling set at a time.
Requirements + Cost
Resident of Santa Barbara County or Southern San Luis Obispo County
Parents must be between the ages of 25-70 and have the ability to provide stability and consistency, love, support, and care to a young child/children in foster care.
Good physical and mental health to ensure you can meet the needs of young children coming into your home (a physical exam may be required.)
May be married, single, divorced, LGBTQ+ or any religious background.
Financial stability (varies based on family size, debt, income, and assets).
May own or rent your home and must have adequate space for an additional child.
Must have at least one full-time parent in the home.
Youngest child in household must be at least two years old.
| Background Check?Background CheckLive Scan fingerprinting, criminal background clearances, DMV printout, and current auto insurance and driver's license | $90-$130 |
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Total Estimated Cost
*Familes receive a monthly stipend of approximately $1000 for each child they are fostering. This rate is determined by the state of CA and is also based on the needs/level of care of each child.
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$90-130 |
How We Support Your Journey
Get Started With Fostering Today
Submit your interest to foster by clicking the button below to provide your contact info. Once you've submitted this, someone from our team will be in touch with you to set up a phone screening to get additional information and answer any initial questions you might have.
Phone Screening
A member of our team will reach out to schedule an initial phone screening to learn more about you and determine eligibility for resource family approval based on our guidelines. Our Angels social workers will walk you through your eligibility and the steps needed to move forward.
Submit Application
If it is determined you are eligible to move forward with the approval process after completing the phone screening, you will then be asked to complete an application. This must be submitted before you can begin training.
Training
Angels parent training classes and First Aid/CPR certification are required to be completed prior to fostering. Our parent training focuses on trauma informed care for infants and toddlers and includes a panel of current and former Angels parents.
Family Assessment
An Angels social worker will visit your home to sit down and talk with you about your goals/motivations for fostering, any specific preferences you may have, as well as your interest in potentially adopting and accepting permanent care of your Angels child/children.
Family Assessment
This is an extension of the Family Assessment. An Angels social worker will visit your home to continue the conversation of preparing your family for the new addition of an Angels child or sibling set. They will also make sure you meet safety requirements to bring a child into your home and suggest any changes necessary to create the best home possible for a new child.
Background Check
Live Scan fingerprinting, criminal background clearances, DMV printout, and current auto insurance and driver's license are required to be submitted. We’ll walk you through the entire process and should you need any additional assistance, we're always here to help.
Approval
Once you have completed training and received resource family approval you will be ready to foster a child or sibling set. The waiting period for child placement can vary, ranging from a few days, to a few weeks, to a few months. In general, the waiting period is shorter for families who are able to foster sibling sets and families who are willing to foster children of any age (within the 0-5 range), gender or ethnicity.
How We Support Your Journey
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Submit Interest
Get Started With Fostering Today
Submit your interest to foster by clicking the button below to submit your contact info. Once you've submitted this, someone from our team will be in touch with you to get additional information and answer any initial questions you might have.
Phone Screen
Phone Screen
Initial phone discussion with Angels social worker to determine eligibility for resource family approval based on Angels guidelines. Our Angels social workers will walk you through your eligibility and the steps needed to move forward.
Submit Application
Submit Application
If it is determined you will be eligible to move forward with the approval process after completing both phone screenings, you will then be asked to complete a 2-part application. This must be submitted before you can begin training.
Training
Training
Angels parent training classes and First Aid/CPR certification are required prior to fostering. Our parent training focuses on trauma informed care for infants and toddlers and includes a panel of current and former Angels parents.
Family Assessment
Family Assessment
An Angels social worker will visit your home to sit down and talk about your goals/motivations for fostering, any specific preferences you may have, as well as your interest in potentially adopting and accepting permanent care of your Angels child/children.
Home Environment Check
Home Environment Check
This is an extension of the Family Assessment. An Angels social worker will visit your home to continue the conversation of preparing your family for the new addition of an Angels child or sibling set. They will also make sure you meet safety requirements to bring a child into your home and suggest any changes necessary to create the best home possible for a new child.
Background Check
Background Check
Live Scan fingerprinting, criminal background clearances, DMV printout, and current auto insurance and driver's license. We’ll walk you through the background checks, and if you need additional assistance, you can contact us.
Approval
Approval
Once you have completed training and received resource family approval you will be ready to foster a child or sibling set. The waiting period for child placement can be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. In general, the waiting period is shorter for families able to foster sibling sets and families who are willing to foster children of any age (within the 0-5 range), gender or ethnicity.
Meet our Social Workers
Jennifer Mills, LCSW
Director of Operations & Social Worker
Originally from the east coast, Jennifer moved to California to pursue her studies in social work at UCSB for undergrad. She then went on to earn her Master in Social Work from UCLA. Jennifer is an expert in the field of child development and has worked with several non-profit and government agencies in this capacity for over 25 years.
Heather Agrusa, MA
Social Worker
Heather Agrusa, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in Communication Studies. Heather brings over 14 years of experience working with young children and their families through Tri-Counties Regional Center Early Start Program. She also has experience supporting at-risk middle school and high school students in her position as a school counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Counseling and Guidance from Cal Poly SLO with a credential in Pupil Personnel Service.
Marlene Velazquez, MA
Social Worker
Marlene Velazquez, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University in Psychology, Sociology, and Bible. Her degree included an emphasis in marriage and family psychology as well as a sociological focus on cross-cultural issues. She also received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. Marlene brings over 15 years of experience working with children in the field of psychology, social work, and education.
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Intro To Foster Care |
Orientation to foster care
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- You'll meet the social workers and staff who will be assisting you throughout the program and learn more about the fostering process.
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Approval family certification process
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- Resource Family Approval (RFA) is a certification process that focuses on meeting the needs of vulnerable children and unifies approval standards for all families. The RFA process has also streamlined transfers for resource families moving between California counties or changing Foster Family Agencies.
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Supporting family reunification
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- The goal of foster care is family reunification. Angels supports the efforts of biological parents to safely reunify with their children.
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Grief and loss in the foster care system
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- A baby’s key developmental task during the infancy stage is establishing trust with a caretaker. When an infant experiences abuse, neglect or the dramatic loss of a caretaker, he or she may lose trust in adults. You can help a baby in foster care learn to trust adults again by providing love, safety and stability as an Angels parent.
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Training Curriculum
What you’ll learn before fostering a child.
Our training curriculum is classroom based and taught by Angels social workers. The content is a combination of lectures, multi-media examples, and group interaction. Prospective resource parents in training will also have the opportunity to hear from a panel of experienced Angels alumni parents, which provides a unique personal perspective on what it is like to be a parent who fosters.
At Angels, we strive to thoroughly prepare prospective parents who want to foster. We recognize that being a resource parent is a unique and crucial role to the development of a foster child. Therefore, we want to better prepare families by providing them with all the tools and help they may need so that they can focus on loving the child. After completing our training program, prospective parents will feel ready to take on this unique and crucial role.
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Child Development & Psychology |
Overview of Child Abuse & Neglect
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- Infants and toddlers are placed in the foster care system when they have been abused, abandoned or neglected by their parents or caregivers. Reports of child maltreatment are investigated by Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services.
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Child Development & Early Intervention
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- The early stages of an infant’s life are critical. Abuse or neglect in early childhood may impact physical, emotional and/or behavioral development.
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Brain Development and the Impact of Trauma
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- Abused or neglected infants sometimes experience developmental delays. Angels Foster Care’s trauma-informed parent training helps our resource parents support healing and healthy infant brain development. Angels social workers continuously monitor the progress of every Angels child and will facilitate additional behavioral or medical support if needed.
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Attachment Theory
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- This is the theory that a bond must be established between the infant and caregiver in order to help develop emotional trust for the future.
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Court System & Mandates |
Working with The Juvenile Dependency Court and Child Welfare Services
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- Juvenile Dependency Court is a court of law that focuses on the needs of both children and families. Judges make decisions about foster care based on the safety and well-being of each child. When a child is placed in foster care, Child Welfare Services (CWS) workers plan and organize services for his or her family.
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Community Care Licensing
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- Community Care Licensing: Community Care Licensing (CCL) is a department of the California Department of Social Services. CCL oversees and regulates the operations of Foster Family Agencies with the goal of promoting the health, safety, and quality of life for children in foster care.
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Implications of Substance Abuse on Child Welfare Cases
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- Children in families affected by severe substance abuse are at risk of maltreatment. This is one of the reasons why infants are placed in foster care. Family members struggling with substance abuse, or other issues, typically receive child welfare services.
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Parent Roles & Responsibilities Resource Parent Roles & Responsibilities
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- The number one goal is to provide unconditional love for the child in addition to providing food, shelter and skilled care. You will need to complete the resource parent approval process before fostering.
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Diversity Awareness and Transracial Families
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- Transracial foster and adoptive families consist of children of one race or culture being raised by parents of a different race or culture. The waiting time for placement of an Angels baby is often shorter for families who are open to transracial foster care.
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Upcoming Angels Parent Trainings
Prospective Angels parents are eligible to sign up for training after being screened by our team.
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Currently, our trainings are held via Zoom and consist of 6 sessions - Due to COVID-19, we moved our training to distance learning with independent study work completed outside of class. Our new virtual classroom means that prospective Angels Foster Care resource parents from all areas of Santa Barbara and southern SLO County are now able to safely and conveniently participate in every training session that we offer. The content of our Angels parent training is a combination of lecture, multi-media, and group interaction, and includes topics such as:
- Foster Parent Approval
- Juvenile Dependency Court
- Child Welfare Services
- Supporting Family Reunification
- Resource Parents Roles & Responsibilities
- Child Abuse & Neglect
- Implications of Substance Abuse on Child Welfare Cases
- Child Development & Early intervention
- Brain Development and the Impact Trauma
- Attachment Theory
- Grief & Loss in the Foster Care System
- Diversity Awareness and Transracial Families
- We also bring in a panel of experienced Angels parents to share their stories and answer questions.
- If you are interested in signing up for a training, you will need to first complete an initial phone screening with a member of the Angels team and submit a completed application. Click the button below to submit your interest or give us a call at (805) 884-0012 to get started!
A transplant from the East Coast, I moved to Santa Barbara in 1989 to attend UCSB and have since never once thought of leaving. With undergraduate degrees from UCSB and a Master's in Social Work from UCLA, I have worked with several non-profit and government agencies in a variety of roles over the past 25 years. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, my practice has focused on early childhood mental health intervention, with an emphasis on supporting children and families who have experienced trauma and/or loss. For the past 20 years, I have also worked within the Juvenile Court and Dependency system in different capacities, first with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and since 2008 with Angels Foster Care. Both of these experiences have shown me how one person or one family can make a significant, positive and enduring impact on the direction of a child's life. I feel fortunate to work each day with remarkable families in our community who have opened their homes and hearts to children in need.
Heather Agrusa, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo in Communication Studies. Heather brings over 14 years of experience working with young children and their families through Tri-Counties Regional Center Early Start Program. She also has experience supporting at-risk middle school and high school students in her position as a school counselor. She holds a Master’s degree in Education with an emphasis in Counseling and Guidance from Cal Poly SLO with a credential in Pupil Personnel Service.
Marlene Velazquez, Social Worker, received her bachelor’s degree from Biola University in Psychology, Sociology, and Bible. Her degree included an emphasis in marriage and family psychology as well as a sociological focus on cross-cultural issues. She also received her Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. Marlene brings over 15 years of experience working with children in the field of psychology, social work, and education.