The Tulare office is working on developing a program that will provide educational support and tutorial services to all of our clients to support positive academic progress and the attainment of higher education.

“Boys to Gents” is a psychoeducational group for boys ages 8 to 14; which focuses on cognitive behavioral therapy to facilitate social skills (values, attitudes, and behaviors) and build on self-esteem (confidence, and autonomy). The group meets once a month for two hours. Activities include cooking, recreational sports, health and nutrition, eating etiquette, identifying positive role models, and community service. Group members also have the opportunity to take field trips within the community.

Soaring to Excel is another group the Fresno Office conducts on a monthly basis. This is an Independent Living Program (ILP) group and is catered to girls and boys ages 14 and up. This is an educational and interactive group in which participants learn to prepare for emancipation/adulthood. Meetings address topics such as: basic living skills, finance/budgeting, health and nutrition, cooking, preparing for college/vocational school, youth empowerment, and accessing community resources. A cooking demonstration in conducted during each meeting, in which participants learn to prepare and cook a meal. The participants are provided the recipe and are informed of the costs incurred in purchasing the necessary ingredients (in order to encourage participants to learn how to live on a budget).

Mini Girl Power is a psycho-educational group for girls ages 8-12, which is interactive, educational and empowering. Group participants are provided with training and encouraged to participate in activities that strengthen their view of themselves as individuals as well as members of the community. The groups are facilitated by Master level Social Workers who are skilled in dealing with issues related to pre-adolescence and trained to provide education to create awareness and empower young girls to develop a healthy value system and a strong sense of self. These groups incorporate discussion, activities, guest speakers and field trips to create awareness and support skill-development.

Eagles Boy’s group is a boys group Golden State Family Services conducts on a monthly basis. This group is focused on our male clients ages 8-13. This group is facilitated by a Master level Social Worker that is trained and well-versed in dealing with issues relevant to this population. The group consists of activities, discussion, guest speakers and field trips that are designed to provide the clients with the exposure, experience and training needed to strengthen their inter-personal skills and identity as young men. This group is also designed to help clients develop positive/healthy social values and identify healthy role models to support positive development and individual success.

The Fresno Office was recently awarded a contract with Fresno and Tulare County to provide Intensive Treatment Foster Care (ITFC) which provides services to children with severe emotional disorders. It is the mission of Golden State Family Services to provide quality foster homes and support services to foster children in order to aid these children gain a sense of stability in the homes in which they live, a sense of self worth, and a belief in themselves and what they can accomplish in life. Golden State Family Services looks forward to implementing this program in the near future.

Home finding services include the recruitment, training and certification of culturally diverse foster families for exclusive use by our agency; matching and placing children in certified homes; closely monitoring children’s care and treatment; and providing ongoing support services to foster parents and children during the placement period. Foster parents are required to complete 20 hours of training annually. Our agency provides monthly trainings to satisfy these requirements. The trainings for our foster parents are on various topics related to caring for and intervening with foster children.

• Home visits to foster children and family

• Written needs and service plans

• Behavioral management, crisis-intervention, and therapeutic interventions

• Referrals for psychological, psychiatric, and educational needs

• Written quarterly reports

• Coordination with treatment providers

• Assistance with transportation of children

• Participation in case staffing and Juvenile Court hearing, as needed

• 24 hrs/day and 7 days/week availability for emergencies

• Emancipation and Independent Living Skills Programs

• Psychological assessment

• Parenting classes