Partnership Programs

We are proud to be able to connect resource parents (foster parents) to Saving Innocence which is an established, informed, and impactful organization that dedicates itself to helping our most vulnerable youth. 

Saving Innocence Foster Family Agency supports commercially sexually exploited children, youth (CSECY) and families, providing them with a range of services to ensure that each child and family has the opportunity to grow and develop within a safe, healthy, and secure environment. 

Specialized training includes CSEC 101, Trauma-Informed Caregiving, Harm Reduction, Safety Planning, Empowerment skills and resources that focus on healing for optimum growth and development. 

When children are recovering from exploitation, these young people need to live with adults who have: 

The Ability to: 

• Help children and youth feel safe and comforted. 
• Demonstrate that some adults can be trusted. 
• Instill hope and inspiration to be successful in life. 

The RESOURCES to:

• Have a child or young person live with you on a round-the-clock basis. 
• Ensure transportation for education, medical care, and counseling services. 
• Provide a quality of life that helps a child feel valued. 

The WILLINGNESS to:

• Work with social service, probation, medical, legal, and other professionals to minimize trauma by maximizing teamwork. 
• Contribute to the hopes and dreams of young people to restore and rebuild their lives. 
• Be resilient advocates to stop the cycle of abuse right here, right now! 

The LA County DCFS PST Team works very closely with children between ages 10-19 years old, who are considered higher-need placements with their complex behavioral needs. 

This program increases the services available to caregivers/kinship parents with their partnership with Fostering UNITY.  With the PST Program, caregivers would have:

• 24/7 access to a Children’s Social Worker who is assigned to the youth and will respond at all hours, for any emergencies, via phone or in person 
• Dedicated weekly check-ins with the youth and caregiver for placement stability
• Assisted resource and program navigation to ease the stress of locating support 
• Weekly support group with specialized topics related to these higher-need placements hosted by Dr. Melissa Daniels, Fostering UNITY CARE Service Specialist and Licensed Clinical Psychologist, M.A., Psy.D. 

The LA County DCFS, Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services, and Fostering UNITY have joined together to create a pilot program to eliminate the need for group-setting Shelter Care. With the Therapeutic Shelter Home (TSH) pilot program, youth will be temporarily placed in individual foster homes focused on healing and resiliency skills. Caregivers will be automatically compensated each month with a specialized rate and each designated TSH will be uniquely supported by Fostering UNITY through specialized support groups, mentoring and educational training. Once a child is placed in the home, the Therapeutic Shelter Home Support Team will be immediately activated by Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services.

This unique collaborative real-time model of care will provide 24 hours a day, seven days a week of intensive family support that is available at the ready, for any needs involving the youth. The team will help

with school enrollment if needed, transportation, respite for the caregiver, issues surrounding the JV220 & medications, and any other necessary tasks to ensure the family's wellness and success.

Fostering UNITY provides post-FURS Urgent Response, by providing the peer mentoring support for aftercare and prevention services for youth, foster families, birth families, and kinship, including free Mental Health services for caregivers/kinship &/or youth thru our partnership with Harbor UCLA Medical Center’s Trauma Recovery Center.

Fostering UNITY and Harbor UCLA Trauma Recovery Center have partnered to offer free parent support and education, trauma-informed training, and mental health services to Resource Families. These services are provided by Mental Health Clinicians and followed up by on-going support from Fostering UNITY’s CSS team.