Youth Resources

Foster care is where you live while your parents are working on fixing safety concerns. When you are in foster care, you have a social worker/probation officer that will help find you a safe home either with a relative, a resource family (foster parent), or, if needed, a Short Term Residential Therapeutic Program (STRTP). Where you live while in foster care is sometimes called a placement. The people you live with are responsible for taking care of you and making sure your rights are not violated. When you are in foster care, you also have a lawyer who is there to tell the judge and others what you want and need to be healthy and safe.

Your county’s Child Welfare Department (sometimes called Child Protectives Services [CPS] or Department of Children and Family Services [DCFS]) and Probation Department are responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of youth in foster care in your county. To do so, DCFS investigates reports of child abuse and neglect. If they determine that abuse or neglect has occurred, a social worker will work with you and your family to create a case plan, identify the services that are needed to stop the abuse or neglect, and prevent it from happening again. Many times, the youth and their family will receive services while the youth is living at home, but when there are concerns about the youth’s safety, they may need to be removed from the home and placed in foster care. If a youth has to be removed from their home, the goal is to help the family “reunify” or get back together as soon as possible.

When a youth is accused of committing a crime, they have contact with the juvenile justice system, which includes the delinquency court and Probation Department. The judge may order the youth into foster care while receiving rehabilitation services (services to improve their behavior). When that happens, the youth’s probation officer is responsible for working with the youth and their family to ensure that the youth is placed in a safe and healthy foster home or treatment program and that they receive all the services needed so the family can get back together.

If you are having problems with how your caregiver or a staff member is treating you, contact our office and the Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD). CCLD is the division of the State Department of Social Services that licenses and oversees foster family agencies, daycares, group homes, short-term therapeutic residential facilities, foster homes, and residential care for children (and adults) throughout California.

You can call them at 1-844-538-8766 or email them at letusno@dss.ca.gov.

You have the right to be treated fairly and with respect, no matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE). You also have the right to keep information about your SOGIE private unless you allow the information to be shared. Even if you don’t know your SOGIE, you still have the right to explore your identity and discover it for yourself. If you want to learn more about how to map your own identity, check out Trevor Project’s Coming Out: A Handbook for LGBTQ Young People.

If you decide to attend a California public college, you may be eligible for your school’s foster youth education program. Each California college system has one to help you succeed:

• California Community College (CCC)
• California State University (CSU)
• University of California (UC)

If you are currently or ever were incarcerated, there are also programs that can connect you to higher education opportunities such as Rising Scholars (CCC) and Project Rebound (CSU).

Check out California College Pathways for more education opportunities.

You have sexual and reproductive health rights, like the right to be given medically accurate information about reproductive health and the right to get birth control. You also have the right to be in safe, consent-centered, and healthy relationships. You can learn more about these rights in the Foster Youth Bill of Rights and learn resources in the CDSS Healthy Sexual Development Project.

The California Youth Crisis Line (CYCL) is the 24/7 statewide emergency response system for youth (ages 12-24) and families in crisis. They can listen without judgment on many topics such as suicide, depression, bullying, health and identity questions, trauma, human trafficking and more.

A court-appointed special advocate (CASA) or guardian ad litem (GAL) is appointed by a judge to advocate for your best interest in court. You can ask for a CASA by contacting your social worker, your attorney, or even requesting one during your Court hearing.

Your social worker/probation officer can sign your driver’s license application without taking personal responsibility. You can also have your application signed by a grandparent, sibling over the age of 18, aunt, uncle, or the foster parent you are living with. However, if any of these people sign, you will both be held responsible if you get in an accident. Ask your caregiver and social worker/probation officer or your ILP program if they can help pay for driver’s education and driver’s training.

If you are age 14-17, your social worker/probation officer must get a copy of your credit report from the three major credit agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union). They must give you these reports each year and help you understand them and fix any problems, like someone else getting credit cards or other accounts in your name and not paying the bills.

If you notice a problem with your credit report, you can get help from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) or check out the list of federally approved credit counseling agencies.

Are you interested in participating in your county’s Independent Living Program (ILP) or want to know if you are eligible? Contact your county ILP Coordinator! You are or were on probation, you can find your county Probation ILP Coordinator here.

Are you interested in applying to Extended Foster Care? You can contact your county’s EFC coordinator, ILP coordinator, or CPS Hotline for help filling out the necessary paperwork. Or you can fill out the paperwork yourself and submit it to the court clerk of your county’s dependency court.

The paperwork needed is the JV-466. The JV-464-INFO explains the instructions on how to fill it out. Remember: A judge is responsible for determining if you are eligible for Extended Foster Care, not the county. The county’s responsibility is to help you fill out the paperwork.