Expectant and Parenting Youth Conferences
If you are an expectant youth or a young parent under the care of DCFS, talk to your social worker about being referred for an Expectant and Parenting Youth (EPY) Conference.
A DCFS Expectant and Parenting Youth (EPY) Conference is voluntary, and designed to identify and discuss many issues related to pregnancy and parenting, including: child care, items you might need for the baby, home visitation services, continuing your education, funding, reproductive health, and any other issues you might need or want to discuss.
Expectant or parenting youth, including fathers under DCFS supervision, can benefit from an EPY Conference even if no problems or concerns have been identified. The goal is to set you up for independence and parenting success, so that your children will never enter the child protection system. You can invite the baby’s other parent, family members, friends, and anyone else you feel can provide support.
Whole Family Foster Homes
A Whole Family Foster Home (WFFH) is a home that provides out-of-home care to dependent young parents and their non-dependent children, while assisting young parents in developing the skills needed to provide a safe, stable and permanent home for their children.
A Whole Family Foster Home offers young parents and their non-dependent child a safe, stable, and permanent home. WFFH caregivers are specifically trained to assist them in developing the skills to parent successfully.
Please contact your social worker if you are an expectant or parenting youth and are interested in a WFFH placement.
Financial Assistance
Expectant Parent Payment
The State of California provides an Expectant Parent Payment (EPP) in the amount of $900 per month for a total of $2,700. The EPP us available to expectant youth in the 7th, 8th and 9th month of pregnancy, prior to the birth of the baby.
Eligible youth must be in a formal placement. EPP’s are available to pregnant youth/Non-Minor Dependents who receive Aid to Families with Dependent Children-Foster Care or Approved Relative Caregiver payments, including those placed in Short Term Residential Treatment Placements, Supervised Independent Living Placements, Transitional Housing Placements or home-based foster care.
If you are residing in the home with one or both of your parents, you are not eligible to receive EPP payments. However, you are eligible to receive financial assistance from the Department of Public Social Service (DPSS).
EPP funds are for you to use to purchase items or services to help prepare for the birth of the baby. Items may include diapers, formula, clothing, crib, bassinet, car seat, etc., and services may include a birth preparation or parenting class. Funds may also be used to purchase maternity clothes.
To receive EPP, provide a copy of an official medical record given to you by a health care provider, containing both verification of pregnancy and the expected delivery date. If you are unable to provide your social worker with an official medical record containing the Expected Delivery Date, your social worker can help.
Additional information about EPP funds:
- The EPP check will be made directly in the name of the pregnant youth
- All items purchased with EPP funds are the personal property of the pregnant youth
Infant Supplement
As soon as your baby is born, and if the newborn remains under your care, your social worker will submit a referral to initiate Infant Supplement payments, as well as Medi-Cal coverage for your infant. If you are in out-of-home care, the Infant Supplement payments are provided to your caregiver in the amount of $900 per month, or $1,379 per month for group home/STRTP placements.
If you are placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement, the Infant Supplement payments of $900 per month are provided directly to you.
Child Care
The Emergency Child Care Bridge Program ensures short-term child care services with licensed and license-exempt child care providers located within Los Angeles County for children between the ages of birth to five years old.
If you are a parenting teen under DCFS supervision, your child (even if they are not under DCFS supervision) is eligible for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program as long as you are working, in school and/or attending a vocational training program, regardless of income level. The Emergency Child Care Bridge Program is a short-term solution and child care is only approved for up to six months with a possible six-month extension, for a total of 12 months. Your DCFS case must remain open during this time and your child must remain in your custody.
Upon acceptance to the Bridge Program, you will be assigned a child care systems navigator. The navigator will assist you with finding a child care provider, securing a subsidized child care placement if eligible, completing child care program applications and developing a plan for long-term child care appropriate to the child’s age and needs. Your child care systems navigator will make every effort to ensure continuity of child care with the same child care provider. However, it is possible that, once the full six to twelve months of Emergency Child Care Bridge Program eligibility are exhausted, a new long-term child care option with another child care provider will need to be secured.
To apply for the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program please contact your social worker.
Emergency Child Care Bridge Program
More Parenting Resources
In addition to the programs specifically designed for young parents in foster care, DCFS and its partners provide resources and services for all parents in need of extra support. Learn more about the following Parent Resources: