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Introducing Nalee Moua, Program Manager in Pathways to Permanency! Nalee oversees several parts of the program that are vital to the work we do, leading through hands-on support and experience connecting children with friends and family who may have lost track of them during their time in the foster care system. The work she and her teams do ensures our children have safe, lifelong connections with supportive adults- a vital pillar of permanency. To learn more please call our main office at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.org!

Foster care has many shared experiences- many are beautiful and wholesome, but at times there are moments when we can struggle with some of the processes involved. Placement decisions, adoption, and transitioning a child from one home to another are no exception. These are hard conversations but they are important as you explore the world of foster care. This month we did just that- shared our thoughts and perspectives, as well as how we would handle a situation in which a family was struggling with how best to support children in their care. For more information contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.org.

Greetings! This episode is extra special because we're celebrating National Adoption Month with the wonderful story of Matt and Melissa! We believe every family's journey is a story worth sharing, and we're so grateful they're sharing theirs with us. Their experience, like so many others, is a powerful reminder of the love and commitment that builds a family. It's real, it's heartfelt, and it perfectly highlights the beautiful mission of creating a safe and loving home for a child. Tune in and celebrate with us! If you want to learn more about our foster to adopt program, you can give us a call at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.org.

One of the original intentions of the podcast was to introduce ourselves as an agency and the people who provide youth and families with support. We'll draw a topic and then discuss. This month we explored the unexpected- what were the things that surprised us about our work in foster care, what surprised us with our kids and families, and what have we learned about ourselves and each other along the way. As always, to learn more you can contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit us as SSYAF.org

A new fiscal year brings new potential and new possibilities, but also gets us to reflect on our successes over the last 12 months. This year we celebrate our new programs, our permanency achievements, and the little wins (but really, is any win “little?”) all along the way. This episode we are joined by a couple members of leadership as we explore everything the last year held- and look to a bright future. For more information please call our main office at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

In this episode we’re shining a light on sharing the voices of our LGBTQ+ staff and allies, their stories, hopes, struggles, and celebrations. Let us always find our pride, and remember wherever life takes you, we see you and we honor you every day. While these reflections are deeply personal, we also recognize they don’t capture all LGBTQ+ experiences. Each journey is unique, and every voice adds to the larger story of pride, resilience, and community. Views and opinions expressed in Resource Families Thrive are those of the hosts or guests and do not represent the viewpoints of the agency. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.

In past episodes we have talked about how disparities exist in foster care- minority and marginalized groups are a larger part of our foster care population than they should be. Part of this is because of those things people don't always realize they hold: implicit bias in particular. Erin Reynolds, Associate Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, joins us again to talk about how we as an agency and a foster care program do what we can to overcome these internal challenges. For more information please visit our website at SSYAF.ORG or call our main office at (916) 344-0199. Views and opinions expressed in Resource Families Thrive are those of the hosts or guests and do not represent the viewpoints of the agency. While we make every effort to ensure that the information we are sharing is accurate, we welcome any comments, suggestions, or correction of errors.

For the past few years we have talked a lot about two primary ways people can help children and families who are supported by different systems of care: providing foster care and mentoring. There are, of course, other ways that you could be involved in supporting your community- and one of those is through charitable giving. While people think about giving most around holidays, this is a year-round endeavor coordinated by our Philanthropy team. Jessica Kreb from Philanthropy joins us for this episode to share how people like you support our programs year-round. For more information give us a call at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

Updated November of 2024! Welcome to Stanford Sierra Youth & Families' introductory episode of Resource Families Thrive! We hope you learn more about our agency, the people who will be working with families like yours, and how you can get involved to support youth and families in our communities! For more information please visit our website at SSYAF.ORG or give us a call at (916) 344-0199.

Research shows us that when a child or teen stays in their community, with people they already know, the impacts of entry into the foster care system are reduced. This is called Kinship Care, and is increasing in priority through legislation and policy changes. This month we're joined by Risha from our Family & Youth Partnership program, sharing her lived experience as a kinship caregiver. To learn more about our kinship supports including the approval process, call (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

This time of year is a great time to think back on what we have done in the Foster Care realm, and what we are looking forward to doing. Who better to explore with than our Program Director, Danielle Paminto? In this episode we discuss some of the driving factors behind our program and operations, and some of the upcoming changes to the foster care system as a whole. To learn more contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.org. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by guests and the host are their own and do not always reflect the positions or policies of the organization as a whole.

In the past we have talked about terms like “generational foster care,” and the ways cycles happen in our systems. Cycles of abuse, neglect, hurt feelings, loss, or grief. How do we break those cycles and replace them with something new- healing, love, family, or permanency? It is our great pleasure to be joined by Will Gabri, one of our Board Members, who shares his experiences from being a former foster youth to a resource parent and, eventually, adoptive parent. To learn more call us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.

When a child or teen enters foster care they may feel a loss of voice or autonomy. A lot of decisions are made for them- where they live, maybe where they go to school, timelines for major events like reunification, adoption, or emancipation. To ensure youth always have a seat at the table and a voice, we have Youth Advocates who help them to advocate for themselves. To learn more about being a resource parent for older youth or teens in care, call (916) 344-0199 or visit or website at SSYAF.ORG.

In previous episodes we have discussed systemic disparities across systems of care. We know that young people of color, those from the lgbtq+ population, those with visible and invisible disabilities, and any other marginalized group may be overlooked, not receive the supports they really need, or have a harder time finding permanency with a supportive family. This month we are focusing on the steps our organization takes to support diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information contact us at (916) 344-0199 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG

Our previous program director used to say that social workers are Masters of Seeding and Watering (MSW). When a family is with us for a while and adding children to their families, what are we doing but helping a beautiful garden to grow? This foster care awareness month we are joined by Irik Edens, whose family has fostered and adopted children from the system and made sure each child's family of origin remains connected to them, creating a rich and healing environment for everyone. For more information call us at (916) 368-5114 or visit our website at SSYAF.ORG.