Ready for Life Foster Family Agency serves a variety of children including those who have been neglected, abused, abandoned or on probation.
We are looking for individuals and families like yourselves who are willing to open your hearts and homes as resource families and respite care providers.
The rewards of foster care are endless. At Ready for Life we believe in working closely with you to ensure the success of the foster children in your home. You will find the support and guidance only an experienced, dedicated and friendly staff can offer. In addition to monthly financial reimbursements to resource (foster) homes, Ready for Life offers a monthly allowance to offset the costs involved when foster children want to pursue their own outside interests. We partner with families from counties all over Northern California, including Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, and Siskiyou.
To learn more about the rights and responsbilities of being a resource (foster) parent, click here.
Start your journey to become a resource family today.
The Process
The process of becoming a resource family with our agency requires:
Applicants to be 18 years of age or older
Completion of an initial application
Completion background check
Home Inspection and Home Study
Health Screen/TB Screen
Completion of a First Aid/CPR course
Proof of automobile and homeowners/ renter’s insurance
Applicants to have a valid California driver's license and clean DMV report
What does the approval process look like? Click here.
For more information on who can be a resource family and how long the process is, Click here.
To get the process started, or for more information, contact our office at
(530) 222-1826 and speak with one of our agency staff.
The Need
We partner with families where children will BE LOVED and NURTURED while having their needs met. Fostering a child gives the opportunity for parents to work on themselves, knowing their children are safe and cared for. The goal of fostering is reunification.
There are over 2,600 foster children in Northern California. Each one of them needs a loving home.
As a foster care agency, we need homes for boys and girls, age infant-21. There is ongoing need for families to foster:
Sibling groups
Children needing permanent homes
Medically fragile infants and children
Teen boys and girls
CSEC
Pregnant and parenting teens
How We Partner
Ready for Life Foster Family Agency offers support to our resource families.
Compatibility: In an effort to successfully place children in your home we provide each family with a Compatibility Inventory during the Home Study process which identifies information vital to promoting the best fit between child and family.
Support Groups: Once a month, come talk about foster-specific issues or situations you may be facing with other families who have had similar experiences.
Date Night: Drop all the kids off and enjoy a night out!
In-House Training: Each resource family is required to complete 24 hours of training each year. We have in-house training opportunities each month at Ready for Life with free child care.
Facebook: Stay up to date with everything happening at Ready for Life and with other resource families in the agency through our private Facebook page.
Respite Care: Family Emergency? Weekend away? Need a break? Utilize other approved resource families for short term care while you rest and come back refreshed.
Family-Friendly Events: Ready for Life hosts events throughout the year to promote community among resource families.
In-Person Orientation: Resource families attend 12 hours of orientation with a supervising social worker before a child is placed in their home. This gives an opportunity to hear from current and previous resource families as well as to ask any questions.
On-Call Social Worker: If you ever have an emergency in your home after-hours, you can call the office and reach the on call social worker 24/7 for help.
Donation Closet: We have a number of people who generously give clothing, pajamas, books, hygiene items, school supplies, blankets, diapers, etc. This helps us to equip families when a child comes into their home.
In-Office Visitation: We provide a Visit Monitor for visitation at our office.
““Ready for Life was very informative through the certification experience and 100% on board with helping us through this wonderful process. Everyone was knowledgeable, professional, and kind.”
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What is the Approval Process Like?
First-hand accounts from families after the approval process.
“I liked the two Saturday classes – very convenient, and the small classroom setting with practical information and real family testimonials.”
“Everyone at Ready for Life was extremely helpful and supportive. The process has been extremely smooth and stress-free- the opposite of what we initially expected! We have been treated like family and feel like we are surrounded with great support by the staff at Ready for Life.”
“This process was supportive and smoother than we could have expected. We felt the genuine love that everyone at Ready for Life has for this work.”
– Mike & Maria | Redding, CA
“Two day sessions was the way to go –more compatible with our family life. Ready for Life really invested in our preparation for success.” – Sean & Christa | Anderson, CA
“Everyone was amazing and easy to work with. We are so happy we chose Ready for Life. We can’t wait for our placement and to work with Ready for Life. I will definitely refer others to your agency.” –Breanna | Red Bluff, CA
