Year One -1987

The Family Care Network was born in 1987. At this time, California’s foster care system was facing a lot of challenges.

According to the first California Report Card of 1989, between 1983 and 1988, children in foster care increased by 120%–going from 10,000 across the state to 22,000.

With this influx of children needing safe out-of-home care, the system was in desperate need of redevelopment. At this same time, Jim Roberts, following an insatiable drive within himself to improve the way California took care of its children and youth, had embarked on a journey to the Central Coast with the goal of establishing a new family-based foster care agency; one of collaboration and innovation which would pioneer a new system of care that put children and their needs at the forefront of service delivery.

In partnership with San Luis Obispo County’s local government agencies, the foundation of FCNI was built on community collaboration, bringing foster families, biological families, children and youth, community members, local businesses, county partners, state agencies and foundations into the development of care.

Our first year, 1987/88, was full of planning, preparation and wondrous provision.

Read the Full Story

We hope that you will join us over the next 30 weeks as we share the journey of the Family Care Network, highlighting our partners and collaborators who made the last 30 years of care possible.

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FCNI at a Glance

[list icon=”moon-people”][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Employees” desc=”2″][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Number of Programs” desc=”1″][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Children, Youth and Families Served” desc=”24″][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Success Rate” desc=”96%”][/list]

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State of the State

[list icon=”moon-library”][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”State Bill 242″ desc=”Established Preservation of the Family as a primary goal of the child welfare system, and making relative placement over non-relative foster care for children a priority.”][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Independent Living Program” desc=”In 1985, the Independent Living Program was born, providing services so that foster youth can make a successful transition out of the child welfare system.”][list_item style=”titledesc” title=”Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act” desc=”Enacted in 1980, it acknowledged that greater efforts should be made to keep families together or reunify them and maintained the basic goal of protecting children but established a preference for family maintenance or reunification, and an expectation that services be provided to prevent placement.”][/list]