Alliance For Children's Rights

We represent caregivers in foster care, guardianship and adoption benefits matters to ensure that they are receiving the support they need to meet the needs of the children in their care. A major focus of this program is helping families receive additional funding for children who require increased care due to medical, behavioral, and/or developmental needs. In addition, we help caregivers when DCFS does not approve their homes in a timely manner, or refuses to approve their homes at all, rendering them ineligible for foster care funding. We also help non-minor dependents (young adults in extended foster care between the ages of 18 and 21) access funding to which they are entitled.

In addition to handling individual cases, our benefits team works closely with our policy team to identify and address systemic benefits issues affecting LA County youth and caregivers.

The Education Program advocates for children who are struggling in school because of developmental delays, disabilities and behavioral issues, often due to their history of abuse and neglect. In 2008, the Early Intervention Advocacy Center was launched as a pilot program, and today ensures that underserved foster infants and toddlers 0-5 years old with developmental delays and behavioral issues have access to interventions to help them overcome their differences by the time they enter school.

Each year, we serve more than 1000 young people who are aging out of the foster care system by helping them to overcome barriers to education, employment, housing and healthcare in order to achieve self-sufficient adulthood. For youth too disabled to work, we help them obtain Supplemental Security Insurance benefits and Medi-Cal prior to aging out of the system, protecting them from becoming homeless. The Alliance co-sponsored AB 12, The CA Fostering Connections to Success Act. This landmark legislation became law on January 1, 2012 and provides eligible youth with extended foster care to age 21.