Become a Casey resource family

Casey Family Programs has been working to improve foster care since 1966. We have a rich history of supporting resource families — sometimes referred to as foster parents and families — succeed as caregivers, whether they are related as kin or connected through community.

We license both kinship and community caregivers and we’re here to support you in your unique journey in becoming someone who can forever change the lives of young people in your community.

Kinship care — which is the full-time care, nurturing, teaching and protection of children by their family, relatives or trusted family friend — is a priority of Casey. We know that children have better outcomes and are more likely to remain connected to their families and culture if they are placed in kinship care. We also know that kinship families who step up to care for their relatives face a unique path in their journey and need support and resources tailored to their experiences.

A community caregiver is someone who provides full-time care for children in their community who are placed into foster care while their family system works to alleviate safety concerns with the goal of reuniting the youth with their birth parents or kin, if possible. To become a community resource caregiver, you don’t need a fancy house, a spouse or partner, or extensive parenting experience. You do need dedication, flexibility and patience. Most of all, you need a strong desire to provide a stable, loving and supportive home for youth in foster care.

Join us to keep children safe and families strong

Casey Family Programs’ services are rooted in the values of preserving family, celebrating culture and promoting healing. Our staff are uniquely positioned to support both kinship and community families as they complete the process to become licensed resource caregivers.

Casey Family Programs is actively recruiting resource families in:

Arizona
California — San Diego
Idaho
Washington — Seattle and Yakima

Please contact the Casey Family Programs office in your community if you are interested in becoming a resource family with us. If you live in a community not listed, please contact the National Foster Parent Association for more information about becoming a resource family with another organization.

Becoming a resource family involves several steps that Casey Family Programs staff will guide you through, including gathering the necessary documents and working with you to complete a home safety assessment and prepare your home environment.

Becoming a kinship resource family

For kinship resource families, the process helps us to determine what supports and resources you will need in your journey as a kinship caregiver and to assist you in completing local foster care licensing requirements that will provide you with financial and other supports. The licensing requirements for kinship caregivers have been streamlined through reduced training hours and other related requirements. Casey Family Programs staff will discuss these requirements with you.

Once you contact us to explore the possibility of becoming a resource family, you can expect to follow these steps over the course of about six months:

Step 1: Initiate contact

When you first contact our office, a staff member will answer your questions about being a resource family. If you’re interested in taking the next step, we will ask some basic questions about you and your family and will send you a packet of information and forms for you to fill out and return to us. If you are already a Casey client in one of our programs, your social worker will connect you with the appropriate staff in the office for next steps.

Step 2: First meeting

A staff member will come to your home to answer your questions and provide information. In some cases, you will be invited to an orientation, where you will meet other interested families and learn more about what it will mean to be a resource family.

Step 3: Pre-service training

For kinship families, many of our local jurisdiction partners have eliminated or reduced the amount of training needed for you to become a resource family. A Casey Family Programs staff member will review these specific requirements with you. If you do need to attend some pre-service training sessions, these sessions will discuss what being a resource family is all about: what it takes, what to expect, the obligations, the challenges and the rewards.

Step 4: Home study

During this step, one of our social workers specializing in family development will visit your home to interview you and any other family members and residents in your home. Typically, interviews are conducted during two to four visits to your home. The interviews are an opportunity for us to:

Gather background information about you and your family.
Ensure that you’ll have the support needed to provide care to the youth placed in your home.
Ensure that you will be able to provide a safe and nurturing home environment.
Make sure your home has enough space to accommodate additional youth.
Complete criminal background checks on everyone living in your home.

Step 5: Licensing or certification

Depending on your state of residence, Casey and/or the state reviews your application and determines certifying or licensing you as a resource family. Once you have the appropriate certification or license, you will begin receiving the full benefits of licensure along with continued placement support.

Becoming a community resource family

For community resource families, the process helps you decide whether being a resource family is indeed what you want to commit to. It also gives us a chance to get to know you better so that an appropriate match is made between resource families and the foster youth we serve.

Once you contact us to explore the possibility of becoming a resource family, you can expect to follow these steps over the course of about six months:

Step 1: Initiate contact

Step 2: Orientation

You will be invited to an orientation, where you will meet other interested families and learn more about what it will mean for you to be a resource family. In some cases, a staff member will come to your home and answer your questions and provide information.

Step 3: Pre-service training

You can expect to attend pre-service training sessions designed to help you make a final decision about becoming a resource family. The training sessions will discuss what being a resource family is all about: what it takes, what to expect, the obligations, the challenges and the rewards.

Step 4: Home study

During this step, one of our social workers specializing in family development will visit your home to interview you and any other family members and residents in your home. Typically, interviews are conducted during at least two to four visits to your home. The interviews are an opportunity for us to:

Gather background information about you and your family.
Ensure that you’ll have the support needed to provide care to the youth placed in your home.
Ensure that you will be able to provide a safe and nurturing home environment.
Make sure your home has enough space to accommodate additional youth.
Complete criminal background checks on everyone living in your home.

Step 5: Licensing or certification

Depending on your state of residence, Casey and/or the state reviews your application and determines certifying or licensing you as a resource family.

Step 6: Child placement

Once you have the appropriate certification or license, you are now ready to provide a youth in foster care with a safe and loving home. Casey Family Programs staff will work in partnership with your local child welfare system to match you with a young person(s).

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What kind of resource families is Casey looking for?

A: Casey looks for all types of families who can provide a supportive and stable home environment: single people, married couples, families of color, empty nesters, homeowners, renters and LGBTQ+ people. Casey holds key the values of diversity and anti-racism, which are especially important given the disproportionate number of children of color that enter the child welfare system. We are committed to meeting the diverse needs of youth by providing culturally appropriate services.

We also look for families who, when appropriate, can commit to offering a permanent home for a youth through adoption or by becoming their legal guardian.

Q: How much contact do children have with their birth families?

A: Casey seeks to maintain and, in some cases, build a positive relationship with birth families. This often brings children and youth a sense of culture, history and self. Our top priority is to ensure that this contact is safe, and we offer support and supervision when necessary.

Q: What do I do to become a resource family?

A: Casey takes families through a process that meets both Casey Family Programs and state requirements to become a resource family. Requirements vary by state, with kin resource families generally having less stringent requirements to mitigate barriers in caring for their kin. The process includes a licensing or certification process, depending on the state. In general, this involves getting background checks for all the adults in the household, filling out an application and other paperwork, attending training, completing a home study and completing an assessment process. We also meet with you so you can learn more about what it’s like to be a resource family and so we can learn more about you and your family. This helps us determine the best fit for both foster youth and family.

Q: What kinds of supports and services do I get as a Casey resource family?

A: Casey Family Programs offers a wide variety of supports tailored to meet specific needs, such as system navigation; after-hours support; assistance in securing financial supports, child safety items, clothing and related items; respite care (another family takes the child temporarily to give you a break) and family assistance; and ongoing growth through caregiver education and community connections.