To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Proclaim May 2024 as National Foster Care Month
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT a resolution declaring May 2024 National Foster Care Month in Contra Costa County as recommended by the Employment and Human Services Director.
FISCAL IMPACT:
No fiscal impact for this action.
BACKGROUND:
National Foster Care Month is an initiative of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Children's Bureau. For 2024, the theme is “Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities.”
Each May, child welfare agencies and children and family organizations raise awareness of issues related to foster care and acknowledge the parents, family members, foster parents, child welfare and related professionals, mentors, policymakers, and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find permanent homes and connections.
The Employment and Human Services Department’s Children and Family Services Bureau administers the Foster Care program in Contra Costa County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
None.
CHILDREN’S IMPACT STATEMENT:
This resolution supports all five of Contra Costa County’s community outcomes of the Children’s Report Card: (1) “Children Ready for and Succeeding in School”; (2) “Children and Youth Healthy and Preparing for Productive Adulthood”; (3) “Families that are Economically Self-Sufficient”; (4) “Families that are Safe, Stable and Nurturing”; and (5) “Communities that are Safe and Provide a High Quality of Life for Children and Families.”
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
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IN THE MATTER OF Proclaiming May 2024 as Foster Care Month in Contra Costa County:
WHEREAS, Contra Costa County recognizes the importance of ensuring children live in safe, healthy, and loving environments, and the value of the resource families or foster caregivers who can help provide this stability, support reunification efforts, and strengthen child and family well-being; and
WHEREAS, this year's National Foster Care Month theme "Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities." shines a light on how we can best support young people and help them successfully transition to adulthood; and
WHEREAS, when some children and teens are unable to safely remain in the home of their families of origin, resource families serve as a source of compassion, care, and nurturing; and
WHEREAS, ensuring young people leave care with strengthened relationships, holistic supports, and opportunities is a priority for Contra Costa County’s Children & Family Services; and
WHEREAS, resource families help prepare teenagers for the transition into adult life, and offer critical support during a time when foster youth may experience heightened risk factors such as reduced education achievements, poverty, homelessness, and sometimes incarceration; and
WHEREAS, in Contra Costa County there are 326 children and youth in foster care placement, whose resource families provide them with safe, secure, and stable home environments; and
WHEREAS, Contra Costa County’s Kinship Support Services Programs are crucial for supporting relatives as they care for children who are in out-of-home care stay connected to the important people in their lives and their community; and
WHEREAS, caregivers who open their homes and hearts for children whose families are in crisis, play a vital role in keeping children safe; and
WHEREAS, Children & Family Services, in collaboration with family support organizations, courts, faith-based communities, related agencies and professionals, can help keep families together with the right mix of services and partnerships; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors proclaims May 2024 as Foster Care Month in Contra Costa County, recognizing the enduring and valuable contribution of foster, relative, and non-relative caregivers.
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