2017 Annual Report: Focusing on the Future
  • Creating a Safe
  • Healthy
  • Livable
  • Prosperous
  • Well-Governed Community
  • Creating a Safe
  • Healthy
  • Livable
  • Prosperous
  • Well-Governed Community
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Reconnecting Families in 2017

Picture
Many children and youth placed in foster care long for permanent connections and a sense of belonging; these connections support a young person’s self-esteem and contribute to placement stability – two factors which positively impact many other areas of a young person’s life.   

The County Department of Social Services has developed an enhanced Family Finding and Engagement program to locate relatives and create or re-establish family connections for foster children.  Relatives may choose to be involved in a variety of ways, including contact through phone calls, letters and visits, or being considered to provide a home for their relative in foster care. 

As of early December 2017, 111 Family Finding searches have been initiated since formalization of the Family Finding implementation process.  An astounding 1,293 relatives have been confirmed as of this writing, with additional confirmations occurring daily.  A total of 98 relatives offering to provide homes have been identified, with 174 relatives requesting other involvement such as sharing ongoing phone calls, letters, birthday or holiday gifts and visits. 

The County formalized and implemented an expanded Family Finding and Engagement (FFE) Program on June 1, 2016.  The State of California requires that the County actively seek, identify, and locate all adult relatives within 30 days of a child’s removal from their home due to abuse or neglect. 

The County of SLO’s Family Finding and Engagement Program connects foster care youth with family they had not previously known or met, or had lost touch with, including extended family members. 

One local junior high school student experienced this firsthand. We’ll call her Sara (her name has been changed to protect her privacy). After Sara had been placed in foster care, she moved several times. Frustrated, she told her social worker, “I’m not moving again unless you place me with a relative!” 

The County confirmed that Sara had close to 25 relatives and four were interested in providing Sara with a home. Another eight were interested in contacting her. Additionally, Sara discovered she had younger siblings she had never met! 

In another case, local high school student Amy (her name has been changed to protect her privacy) was placed in foster care after that the County learned she was living alone and had no parents or family providing any support. Amy had been working weekends and late nights after school to survive.   The County’s Family Finding and Engagement program searched for and located an extensive list of relatives.  

In just two months, the County found almost 30 relatives. Six were interested in providing a home for Amy and seven relatives requested contact.  After asking about Amy’s well-being, several relatives requested to send her letters, cards and photos; most explained that they had lost contact with her back when she was a little girl. 

Through this process, the County also found Amy’s great-grandmother. The two had never met and Amy’s grandmother was happy and grateful for the County’s efforts to find family members of youth in foster care.

These relatives have stated they are ready and willing to support Amy. Lifelong connections, previously severed, have been re-established; this young lady is no longer alone. Furthermore, she is currently deciding where to attend college, as she was accepted to several universities. She will have her choice of relatives to spend the school breaks with.

For more information about the County’s Foster Care program and its Family Finding and Engagement Program, visit www.slocounty.ca.gov. 

<< Previous Story
Next Story >>

Quick Links

SAFE
Assisting Victims of Crime
Changes at County Jail

Efficient Emergency Efforts
New Cadet Training
New Cyber Forensic Lab
New Forensic Pathologist

New Vehicle Extraction Tools
Preparing for Active Shooters at Local Schools
Protecting SLO County Kids
​
Protecting Vulnerable Adults
​Training County Firefighters
Transforming Young Lives
HEALTHY
Aiding Vulnerable Adults
​Bikes for Holidays
Building an Animal Shelter
Empowering Local Teens
Finding Alternatives to Pesticides

Easier In-Home Care
Promoting Oral Health
Protecting Agriculture

Protecting SLO County Kids
Reconnecting Families in 2017
Stepping Up Together
Stopping Outbreaks
Supporting Local Veterans

Transforming Young Lives
LIVABLE
A Plan for El Chorro Park
Bob Jones Trail Updates
Clerk-Recorder: By the Numbers
Developing Cannabis Regulations
Improving Everyday Lives
Lifelong Learning in 4-H
Moving Us Forward
New Airport Terminal
New Community Park
No. 1 Child Support Services in CA
Paving the Way for Housing
Protecting Local Oaks
SLO Library Renovation
Sugar Bear's Story
​Switching to Electronic Documents
PROSPEROUS
A Career Pathway for Youth
​Airport Passenger Numbers Soar
Digitizing Public Records
Enforcing Vacation Rental Laws in SLO County
Filming in SLO County
From Foster Care to Adulthood
Helping Families Be Self-Sufficient
Large Impact on Local Vets
More Affordable Housing
​Most In-Demand Jobs
​
New County Website

New Airport Terminal
Protecting Agriculture
Supporting Local Veterans

OTHER RELATED REPORTS
2017 County/State Legislative Report​
Affordable Housing Fund Annual Report
Assessor’s Annual Reports
Child Welfare Services Statistical Reports
Civil Service Commission Annual Report
Crop Reports

General Plan Annual Report

​Mental Health Services Act Annual Update
Sheriff’s Annual Reports
Social Services Semi-Annual Report
Status of SLO County Women
Tourism Marketing District Annual Report
Vital Signs 2016 Comprehensive Report
FINANCIAL REPORTS
​2016-17 Financial Report

County Budget

Quarterly Financial Report

Location

County Government Center
1055 Monterey Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93408

ABOUT THIS REPORT

This website serves as a general report on the status of the County of San Luis Obispo in 2017. The County Administrative Office works with all County departments each year to produce and publish the annual report and presents to the Board of Supervisors and the public at a meeting the early the following year. The reports are published solely online to save costs. All previous annual reports can be reviewed on the County's main website at www.slocounty.ca.gov. 

Contact Us

www.slocounty.ca.gov
​County Phone Directory: 805-781-5000

(Toll free: 800-834-4636)

Subscribe Today

Subscribe