Children Deserve Safe, Loving Homes

There is an ongoing essential need for loving and supportive foster homes in Los Angeles County.

As a diverse and service-dedicated workforce, LA County employees are ideally suited to make a vital difference in the life of a child and their family by becoming foster parents.

We Need You

LA County employees can now learn about fostering and adoption through a new dedicated liaison at the Department of Children and Family Services.

DCFS’s primary goal is to safely reunify children with their birth families. Foster parents are an important support for the child and parents during reunification efforts. However, there are situations where reunification is not possible and then foster parents may provide a loving permanent home.

Creating or expanding your family through adoption is an enriching and rewarding experience and gives the child a needed lifelong sense of connection and belonging.

Eligibility

In order to foster and adopt through DCFS, you must:

• Be a LA County resident of at least 18 years of age.
• Attend an orientation and complete a Resource Family Approval (RFA) application.
• Attend 12 hours of no-cost pre-approval training.
• Complete eight hours of no-cost annual training.
• Complete a criminal record check and additional background clearances. (Criminal record exemption may be granted)
• Participate in a home environment check and family evaluation/assessment.
• Complete CPR/First Aid training within 90 days of approval.

There is no fee paid to the county for the RFA process.

Where to Start

Ready to become a Foster Family?

Start Online Application

Need additional information?

Learn More Here

Would you like to speak with an LA County Employee Recruitment Liaison?

Employees may ask questions and explore best options through one-on-one consultations at (213) 435-8604 or complete the form below.

LA County employees who do not live in Los Angeles County but desire to become foster parents can work with a Foster Family Agency (FFA) or their county of residence to complete the RFA process.

We can provide you with a list of FFAs to help get you started. Please note: This outreach is not applicable to DCFS employees due to conflict of interest considerations.  For DCFS employees, RFA through an FFA is an option.