Foster Care & Adoption

Foster and adoptive resource families provide kids a safe, stable, and loving home environment until they can return home to their family. Many also become a child’s forever family when a child can’t return home to their birth parents.

Become a Foster or Adoptive Parent

Eligibility

Walden’s foster care and adoption program enables–infants and sibling groups, youth who identify as LGBTQ, and children with developmental disabilities, emotional and behavioral challenges, or special healthcare needs—to grow up knowing the love and sense of community that family life provides. There is a growing need for families to provide homes for sibling groups, older children, and teens.

What We Do

Walden resource families develop the skills to become part of a child’s treatment team, using individualized treatment strategies to meet the child’s needs and experience everyday activities in a safe, supportive home environment. Walden families participate in treatment planning and receive ongoing training, in-home supervision and professional support.

Walden families also participate in educational planning meetings, therapy, court hearings, medical care, and social and recreational opportunities that enhance the child’s growth and development. This includes helping the child maintain a relationship with their birth family through regular communication, visits and collaborative decision making regarding the best interests of the child.

Foster Care. Resource families are approved to provide short-term foster care with the goal of reunifying the child with their birth family.
Foster to Adoption. If a child cannot reunify with their parents/ birth family then Walden resource parents are “adoption ready” to provide a primarily a forever family through adoption to children already in their care. There are many older children, sibling groups and children with specialized needs waiting to be matched with a forever family through adoption in California.

Locations

Walden serves children, youth and families throughout Southern California from our offices in the following locations:

Los Angeles County and surrounding counties from offices in Encino and Palmdale
Riverside and San Bernardino Counties from offices in Riverside County
San Diego and Imperial County from office in San Diego County

Why It Matters

Children who grow up with the support of a family are more likely to develop the skills they need to become contributing members of the community as adults.

Many experienced traumatic events such as persistent neglect or abuse, family violence or caregiver addiction. Many children have also experienced multiple placements, making it essential for caregivers to patiently help them build trusting relationships.

Foster and Adoptive Parent Inquiry Form

Visit our training calendar for classes in your area.

Foster Care & Adoption