We all need someone we can turn to during critical moments, someone who will listen to us, offer advice, help us deal with a problem, and lend a helping hand when we need one. However, for many of Los Angeles' children and youth currently or formerly in foster care and their caregivers, this vital support, which is critical when issues big and small come up, is not always available.

To address this need, the Family Urgent Response System (FURS) launched in 2021. Through FURS, children, youth, and caregivers can immediately connect with a caring counselor any time day or night to get support when they need it the most, free of cost. Additionally, a mobile response team is available to swiftly come and meet with the youth and/or caregiver at a place of their choosing when they want in-person support.

What are we doing to CONNECT in Los Angeles?

With support from LA2050, Children Now has been working to CONNECT LA's children and youth who have spent time in foster care to the social and emotional support that FURS offers. Over the past few months, we have reached out to young people, caregivers, and a variety of stakeholders such as educators, foster family agencies, social workers, community-based organizations, and behavioral health providers, to make sure they know about FURS and everything it offers. We connected one-on-one, gave presentations, and collaborated with local agencies and organizations to spread the word about FURS. We've also engaged youth and caregivers in discussions with members of the child welfare field, including advocates, minor's counsel, direct service providers, and the County so their ideas and feedback shape the support provided by FURS. It's critical that the system is designed to meet the needs of young people currently or formerly in foster care and their caregivers, and this is the best way to ensure that. For example, we have engaged youth and caregivers in LA FURS meetings that have occurred monthly since September, and an average of five youth and caregivers have joined each meeting to share their input. We also gathered feedback by conducting a youth focus group and worked with youth individually to hear their thoughts. Finally, we have been working diligently to answer any and all questions providers, county staff, and other child-serving organizations have about FURS.

Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, which means that we haven't been able to gather together in person, Children Now has directly connected (virtually) with more than 300 young people, caregivers, providers, and other stakeholders to get the word out about this vital resource and to hear their perspectives. Based on our estimates, we have reached thousands of LA-based youth and caregivers through our partnerships and collaborations with local agencies and community organizations.

The system is new, but we're already seeing progress (and its potential)

While FURS is less than a year old, youth who have heard about this resource recognize the impact it will have on the lives of children and young people who have spent time in foster care. Minnie, a youth in extended foster care, shared:

“Foster youth have been removed for serious reasons that have caused us trauma that we need to work on. FURS can say this isn't a rebellious teen, they have been traumatized. It can recognize a cry for help and really be the eyes and ears of what is going on. All of our stories are different, but what we do have in common is that all of us at some point were hurt, and [coping with] that while also facing and surpassing life's barriers at such vulnerable stages in our lives without positive support is something that we cannot be expected to achieve, that's unrealistic. FURS is set up to adequately support and advocate for the youths' needs by helping guide and support both the caregiver and the youth."

FURS is also making a positive impact in the lives of Los Angeles' foster families. For instance, C.*, a caregiver with long-term experience caring for many children in foster care, including children with disabilities, recently reached out to FURS for help with her foster child. The child was engaging in challenging behaviors and nothing she did seemed to help. She called the Cal-FURS statewide hotline and was immediately connected to a caring counselor.

“Oh my goodness, I was so pleased with FURS' service! The counselor was so reassuring. She questioned me about the situation and guided me as I worked with my foster child. She helped me find ways to calm them down to where they were no longer head banging nor biting…."

Defining success and looking ahead

The success of this project will be evaluated by our outreach to children and youth currently or formerly in foster care, caregivers, and other child welfare stakeholders; youth and caregiver engagement in providing feedback on FURS; and increased usage of FURS over time. This will be especially important given the challenge we face moving forward: building youth and caregiver trust in FURS. By deeply engaging youth and caregivers in outreach and implementation, we believe Los Angeles County's youth and caregivers will increasingly turn to this new resource during critical moments.

In the coming months, we will continue to educate the LA community about FURS through presentations, trainings, technical assistance, and the release of an outreach toolkit, among other outreach strategies. We will also continue to engage youth and caregivers in discussions about FURS, including through surveys and focus groups, to ensure FURS grows and evolves to be even more effective over time. If you are interested in a presentation, partnering on outreach, or know a youth or caregiver who wants to share their opinions, please email Jessica Haspel at jhaspel@childrennow.org.

Please visit cal-furs.org to learn more about FURS or to connect with this critical resource.

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