Vision

To break down social and institutional barriers and create a movement for change that will ultimately afford every child equal access to quality, long-term medical care.

According to the California Report Card 2001*, one in six children nationwide in foster care live in California.

The children on whose behalf we work are at risk of entering the foster-care system. Although many have severe or chronic medical conditions requiring continuous professional care and medications, they do not qualify for out of home intermediate care paid by government subsidy programs simply because they are not diagnosed as mentally retarded. Thus, parents who are not capable to care for their special needs child are forced to surrender the child to the Foster Care System in order for the child to qualify for professional out-of-home nursing care.

The Foster Care System is overtaxed, overused, and unequipped to safely care for medically fragile children, who remain at a high medical risk. Unfortunately, this dilemma disproportionately affects minority and social-economic depressed communities.

Mission

Our mission is to abolish the State's reliance on foster parents, who are often not nurses. Caring Friends Inc. wants to assure that professional nursing care funded by the government is accessible to all children in need, regardless of their ethnic, religious, economic or developmental status, so that each child can reach his or her greatest potential.

*California Report Card 2001: Factors for School Success, November, 2001, researched, compiled, and published by CHILDREN NOW, Oakland, California