PLATINUM2023

ALTERNATIVE FAMILY SERVICES INC

aka AFS   |   Santa Rosa, CA   |  www.afs4kids.org

Mission

The AFS mission is to support vulnerable children and families in need of stability, safety, and wellbeing in communities.

AFS serves thousands of foster youth in Northern California.

Ruling year info

1977

CEO

Marsha Lewis-Akyeem

Chief Program Officer

Craig Barton

Main address

131B Stony Circle, Suite 1200

Santa Rosa, CA 95401 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

94-2427088

NTEE code info

Foster Care (P32)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020, 2019 and 2018.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

The problem AFS is working to address The lives of foster youth are disproportionately marked by violence. Compared to their peers AND other at-risk populations, foster youth are at the HIGHEST RISK of: being involved in violent behavior as a victim or perpetrator, homelessness, incarceration, developing addictions and having chronic mental / physical illness, entering prostitution, becoming human traffic victims or early teen pregnancies.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Therapeutic Foster Care

The AFS Therapeutic Foster Care program is designed to meet the needs of children up to twenty-one years of age. Foster parents work as part of a treatment team comprised of an AFS Program Director, Caseworker, referring agency worker, and other involved professionals. Foster homes form a network of foster families who provide support, advice and respite to one another. Foster parents meet regularly for training and support.

Often, while authorities look into alleged abuse or neglect, children need short-term placements to ensure their safety during the investigation. In those cases where abuse or neglect are verified and when no immediate family is available to take care of children these shorter-term placements are converted to placements that can last longer periods of time. A high proportion of AFS therapeutic foster placements begin as short-term emergency placements.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth

Foster children with developmental disabilities need a special home in which to live and thrive. AFS provides therapeutic family based living for adults and children with developmental disabilities.

FACDD Intensive Support Includes
•Individualized case management: A treatment plan is implemented within 30 days of admissions. 24/7 emergency case management response is available.
•Behavioral support: Professional consultants develop plans for addressing specific behaviors, and/or developmental issues.
•Person-centered planning: Person-centered planning develops a "toolbox" of resources, enabling disabled individuals to choose their own pathways to success.
•Respite care: Foster families may utilize an approved respite provider to temporarily provide care to the foster child.
•Skills Trainers for Children: One-to-one skills trainers work directly with the child in the home and community to improve skill deficits, often participating in recreational activities and practicing social, educational and vocational skills.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth

AFS family therapists provide two forms of mental health services to foster youth and families:
Community Based Mental Health Services
Therapeutic Visitation Services

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth

AFS provides services and programs to help youth through the difficult and complicated process of emancipation. These services provide the emotional, practical and social skills and resources necessary to become independent young adults. AFS has two TAY programs:
Independent Living Skills Programs
Marin Transitional Housing Program-Plus

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

COA 2019

Videos

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of children entering foster care achieving permanency in 12 months

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

percent of positive discharges

Number of foster care children placed with a family that were formally adopted

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The goal of AFS is to make sure every foster youth we serve receives the proper services that will help them have permanent, safe connections and become independent members of their communities.

All children have the right to live in a healthy family. AFS services uphold a commitment to building sustainable relationships surrounding children and youths in and out of foster care through four distinct, accredited areas of service:

Foster Care Services
Adoption Services
Mental Health Services
Transition Aged Youth Services

AFS is accredited by the Counsel on Accreditation (COA). The agency is compliant with mandated trainings and service requirements. AFS employees leading experts in the field of mental health, adoption and foster care services.

AFS has successfully serviced thousands of Northern California foster youth and families since 1978.

AFS has not been able to ensure 100% of its clients lead independent, successful lives in their communities.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

ALTERNATIVE FAMILY SERVICES INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

ALTERNATIVE FAMILY SERVICES INC

Board of directors
as of 05/23/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Nathan Lipkin


Board co-chair

Inverleith Fruci

Nathan Lipkin

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Maurice Mitchell

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Peter Wentworth

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Adam Reiner

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Julio Flores

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Rohan Bafna

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Jeffrey Ford

Michelle Davalos

Nancy Lelicoff

Elizabeth Arbuckle

Scott Staub

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/23/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Multi-Racial/Multi-Ethnic (2+ races/ethnicities)
Gender identity
Female

The organization's co-leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
Black/African American
Gender identity
Male
Disability status
Decline to state

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 05/22/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.