Foster Care Services More than 3,000 children are in foster care in San Diego county. We can help.

Understanding the critical need

San Diego Youth Services is one of the region’s best provider and source of foster care opportunities. Through our one-to-one approach, we create outstanding outcomes for foster families.

Our foster families provide safe, stable and healing home environments for abused and neglected children. Our services also include a focus on helping current and former foster youth transition into self-sufficient adults. 

We helped 309 children and youth through our foster care services this past year.
Foster Care

Becoming a parent who fosters

Adopted child and parents

Children need parents. They need families. Every child needs someone to connect deeply with, someone they can count on and trust. Foster families come in all shapes and sizes. We are helping people redefine what a traditional foster family looks like.

We are encouraging potential foster parents to envision the possibilities, and we are with our foster parents every step of the way. From administrative to emotional support, we ensure our parents are feeling just as valued as our foster kids. We provide ongoing support to our foster parents, so they feel they have a partner in navigating the foster care relationship.

We give resource parents all the resources they need to successfully provide loving homes and raise thriving kids and teenagers.

We do foster care differently

Multiethic_Feature.jpg

Traditional foster care is broken.

Children who experience abuse and neglect are left with trauma. That trauma is repeated when they are taken from their families, no matter how damaging the environment was. Then the traditional foster care model repeats that cycle each time a child is moved from one “bed” to another in the system created to protect them. The intervention is often worse than the problem. It has failed to provide the safe, loving and therapeutic homes that our traumatized children need to heal and thrive.

We are passionate about a new brand of foster care that will meet the goals for every single child. Our highly trained and committed foster parents are the secret sauce to finding the solution instead of perpetuating the problem.

We must be part of the solution. We hope you’re looking for a new life journey. If you accept this mission, your life will be changed from the inside out. You will rescue children who need you like they need air to breathe. We are looking for super parents who are all in, fully committed to the child in your trust until a permanent loving family wraps their arms around that child. Are you in?

Independent Living Skills

The Independent Living Skills Program (ILS) focuses on giving former foster youth the tools and resources they need to transition smoothly into becoming an independent and self-sufficient adult.

The program helps ensure that upon exiting foster care, youth will be enrolled in college, vocational programs and/or be employed, as well as be in a stable housing situation.

Last year, we helped 298 foster youth to develop independent living skills.
What We Do Teen Boy Banner
Suicide Prevention

Aftercare Services

Upon leaving the foster care system, aftercare services are available until a youth’s 21st birthday.

Such services may include: financial assistance for employment or educational purposes, housing assistance, scholarships, Medi-Cal, household items, gift cards and other resources, when possible.