Asian Foster Families Needed in the LA Area

Many people have heard of foster care and generally understand how it works. Children are placed in the foster care system after being removed from their homes due to abuse, negligence, abandonment, or death or incapacity of their parents. The county places in the homes of licensed foster families, or in a group home if none is available. The purpose of the foster family is to provide a safe living environment for a child while the county evaluates the parents. Much of the time, the foster family is a temporary home for the child in need, but in some cases, the county will determine that the child cannot be reunited with his parents and the child may be adopted.

Social workers work to match foster children with safe, loving foster families. While consideration for overall safety is important when placing a child in a foster home, how else can we promise a comfortable environment for these children?

One way of providing a comfortable living environment for children is by matching them with families who look like them, speak their language, and eat foods they are accustomed to. Racial and cultural representation within the foster family population is important. Living with someone who looks like you and/or speaks the same language as you is powerful – especially when it is a child who has suffered a traumatic experience. One population that particularly struggles with this issue is the Asian population. Asian children make up about 1.8% of Los Angeles County’s foster care population – about 600-800 children. However, the number of Asian foster families licensed by LA county is much smaller, and in 2014 there were no Asian foster families available.

While there are families willing to bring these children into their homes, the problem is that these children find it difficult to relate to their foster families because of their difference in language and culture. Many of these kids come from immigrant families, so they are mostly Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer, or Korean speakers. Besides having to deal with the trauma that comes with being abused, abandoned, and/or neglected, these children face additional stress when placed with families they cannot communicate with, or where the food is strange and foreign to them.

We encourage Asian families to consider fostering an Asian child in need. These children have rough pasts and need a comforting adult figure to be around. Being a foster parent can be a rewarding experience. There is no cost to be a foster parent, and the County will provide benefits to families that foster. If you are interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent and are in Los Angeles County, we encourage you to contact the Asian Foster Family Initiative run by Korean American Family Services (KFAM) (http://kfamla.org/en/programs-services/korean-foster-care-program/), the first Asian American licensed foster agency.

Here are some basic requirements for your home in California.

1. It does not matter whether you rent or own your home;
2. The home should have no more than two children in one bedroom;
3. Opposite sex children cannot be in the same bedroom;
4. The bedroom should not be used as a passageway for any other room;
5. Each child should have their own bed and linens and their own closet space;
6. Home should be safe and secure (for example, lockable gates for swimming pools).

If you need assistance finalizing an adoption of a child whether through foster care or not, you can contact Tsong Law Group.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice, or create an attorney-client relationship.