Family and Friends Together Program

In March 2023, we launched our new kinship support program, the “Family and Friends Together Program” (FFTP). This program was formed as an innovative public-private partnership between Angels Foster Care and Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services (CWS), serving the youngest and most vulnerable members of our community.

This voluntary program provides intensive social worker support to kinship and non-related extended family members (NREFMs) caring for foster children from birth to age five throughout Santa Barbara County. Kinship caregivers typically include grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, or cousins of foster children. Kinship and NREFM caregivers encounter unique challenges. Our aim with FFTP is to create personalized support plans, enabling these families to offer the optimal environment for the infants, toddlers, and preschoolers under their care.

Decades of research show that children in foster care thrive when placed with family. Compared to traditional foster care, children in kinship care experience better mental health, stronger emotional well-being, and greater stability.

However, stepping up for a relative's child brings unique hurdles:

  • Sudden Life Changes: Kinship families often have days or hours to prepare.

  • Complex Dynamics: Navigating intergenerational challenges, feelings of guilt, or anger toward biological parents.

  • Privacy Concerns: Unlike traditional foster parents, relatives rarely have anonymity from the biological parents.

Because of these distinct challenges, specialized support is crucial. FFTP is here to ensure kinship families never have to walk this path alone.

Our Services & Support

As an expansion of our core Angels Foster Care services, FFTP provides kinship caregivers with intensive, individualized wrapping-around support, including:

  • Dedicated Case Management: Tailored resources and guidance for your specific family needs.

  • Personalized Family Plans: Our lead social worker conducts an in-home assessment within the first 30 days of placement to craft a custom support plan.

  • CWS Reporting: Monthly well-being reports provided directly to Child Welfare Services to ensure smooth system navigation.

Meet the FFTP Team

Our experienced, compassionate team is dedicated to your family's success:

  • Jennifer Mills, LCSW – Clinical Director

  • Marlene Velasquez, MA – Lead Social Worker

  • Stephanie Vega – Social Work Assistant (providing dedicated support for our monolingual Spanish-speaking families)

The below components are factored into each personalized family plan:

  • Skill building tailored to the needs of the family

  • Child welfare system navigation

  • Brief therapeutic intervention

  • Psychoeducation

  • Assistance identifying childcare providers

  • Emotional support for kinship caregivers

  • Liaising with Santa Barbara County Child Welfare Services (CWS)

  • Help with Medi-Cal coverage for the children

  • Attendance of all court hearings by FFT social worker

  • Supplies upon placement, and as needed, including car seats, strollers, cribs, diapers, formula, and clothing.

We look forward to continuing to build and grow this program in order to provide essential support services to kinship and NREFM families in Santa Barbara County.

Read more about our FFTP program in Noozhawk here and in the Santa Barbara Independent here.