My husband and I loved working with Extraordinary Families and would recommend it to anyone looking to become a resource parent in LA County. While the foster care journey is difficult, Extraordinary Families made it easier and were a great resource during the journey. I do not know what we would have done had we gone straight county. Having EF is like having an advocate by your side, with assistance, resources, and a sounding board. They are friendly, helpful, and professional. read more

We used Extraordinary Families for the foster-to-adopt journeys of both of our children. They are incredibly helpful, responsive, caring and progressive, providing education and support every step of the way. We're so grateful that we had them on our team, and can't recommend them highly enough. read more

If you are looking to become a foster parent it is better to just go through the county. This agency has a lot of workers quit. They slow down the process for everything as if they don't want you to adopt. They rarely match you to a child that you ask for. And it's more work going through this agency. They ask you for paperwork that the county doesn't even want, it just makes them look better. They make fostering harder and are not helpful. read more

We are so lucky to have worked with Extraordinary Families during our process to grow our family. The entire team is very involved and we recommend anyone who wants to adopt a child, to really consider EF as their agency. We cant speak high enough of them. read more

Extraordinary Families is just that extraordinary. My husband and I went to a few different orientations in order to understand the foster to adopt process. After EFs session, we knew we had found our people. We love EFs welcoming and inclusive mission, their supportive staff, and the warm, loving and diverse families they attract. They are focused on what's best for kids, and making sure resource families have what they need throughout the foster and adoption journey. read more

Extraordinary Families is a wonderful, caring foster-adopt agency. When I decided I wanted to become a foster parent I emailed a reporter at the Los Angeles Times who covered social services and asked for a few foster agency recommendations. Extraordinary Families was one of three he recommended. I could not have been more pleased with my experience with them. The staff works tirelessly and really cares about the children as well as the families caring for them. I am also a single parent and they are very open and supportive of all family structures. Thank you, Extraordinary Families, for the incredible work you do. read more

We started out with a different FFAA that has since folded and we are so thankful we ended up here. We have worked with their social workers on three foster placements over the past few years, including two that have (or are in the process) of turning into adoptions. As a gay couple, it was really important that we found an agency that treated us, well, the same as everyone else. And SCFFAA definitely does that (I think they have some kind of award from the Human Rights Campaign about this). I definitely recommend working with an agency to act as the go-between for you and DCFS and SCFFAA is the best that I'm aware of in the L.A. area. read more

I have been working with SCFFAA for over 2 years now as a foster parent and couldnt be happier. I found out about them from a friend that used them for foster/Adoption. They are so much better then trying to just work thru the county. It's sad how overwelmed the social workers for the county are. I would be pretty much in the dark if it wasnt for SCFFAA. They make you feel like your family and are alway there to answer any questions i have. And they are always doing events to help keep the children invovled and show them they are appreciated and loved. Thanks SCFFAA, you have made my experience a joyous one. read more

I wish I could give them 10 stars! We were fost/adopt parents, and had a very diverse experience with one "reunification" (where the child goes back to their birth family) and finalizing one child's adoption. Even though we don't live in LA anymore, and we're not one of "their families" anymore, the SCFFAA staff has continued to provide wonderful, professional support to our family when an complex case came up, including testifying in court on our behalf! We always found the SCFFAA staff to be incredibly professional, and always supportive of our family (a lesbian couple). The agency provided links to other foster and fost/adopt families that we leaned on for additional support, and the workers helped to navigate a very complex legal and regulatory system with LA County. If we didn't feel like we could talk with our county social worker, we always knew we could ask our SCFFAA worker for support in whatever we needed, including helping us not get caught in the middle between birth families, our time, and the county's expectations. I can't more strongly encourage SCFFAA. If you do decide to work with them, make sure you take advantage of the continuing education classes they offer, as well as any foster parent support groups they offer (one was started while we were still in Los Angeles). The most effective way to deal with a complex system, and mixed feelings that are caused by "the system" is to get to know other foster parents. By using the additional SCFFAA services, you'll get quite close to other parents going through the exact same thing you are. read more

I have been a Foster-Adopt Father for over 8 years now. I was recommended by a County employee to work with Southern CA Foster Family & Adoptions Agency as opposed to working directly with the County...It was the BEST advice I ever got!! SCFFAA is an amazing agency and is there for you every step of the way! In fact, I still contact them to this day, from time to time, for advice and direction and they are always there to help. When looking for a Foster-Adopt agency, look no further...they are AMAZING!! read more

My ex husband and I adopted our son with the help of SCFFAA. They were absolutely amazing through the entire process. I cannot say enough good things about this place . They gave our family the most amazing gift anyone could ever give! read more

We just became foster parents with SCFFAA. They have been really lovely and helpful and great advocates which is key. We hope to adopt and are praying it works out. I'm grateful SCFFAA is there to support us. read more

Great agency, especially for older people (35+), single people and LGBT people who want to adopt. They help you navigate the foster care and legal system, and provide support. The other families at the agency are great - we keep in touch with some who went through the adoption certification classes with us. We successfully adopted two babies (siblings) right from the hospital through this agency. They were also there to support us when we our first placement went to live with his birth family. I highly recommend them! read more

The Agency is truly remarkable. It is a high quality operation really dedicated to the well being of the kids and their families. My daughter joined me 10 years ago. They have helped colleagues at Disney as well other friends (e.g., single male school teacher) form their families. A friend who was raised in the LA foster care system told me this is the only agency he recommends. read more

DO NOT USE THIS AGENCY! We had a horrible experience with them SCFFAA. We were certified by them but over the year plus time we worked with them we found them to be very unprofessional. They frequently rescheduled and missed meetings, gave us misleading or inconsistent information and provided us almost no support. They did little to help us find placements and to us they seemed to lack empathy for prospective adoptive parents. read more

DO NOT foster/adopt through this agency. Firstly, after reviewing other agencies, I found that most do not charge you for your homestudy. SCFFAA does charge and they shouldn't be. I was and was not refunded, even after not going through with the homestudy. (Here's why:) Ever get the feeling that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing? That's the experience I had, and my paperwork was lost, along with records of classes I took (twice). I also found it interesting that my social workers were very young and inexperienced. Add all of these up, and it was all in all a terrible experience. After going to a different agency, I have realized how terrible this agency was, and how they took me for a ride ($$$). I'm glad that all of these red flags prevented me from going through the system without true support. Do yourself a favor and try a few other agencies before this one. You won't regret it. read more

I was referred to this agency by a family member who had a great experience. When I first started with the agency, I had an good social worker but then I was transferred to another social worker who was very unprofessional and dishonest. The social worker would come into my home and question me in front of the foster youth about my issues I had with the youth. She was not objective or fair in her approach in dealing with me the foster parent and the foster youth. She supported the foster youth in whatever they did and if the youth was wrong she would correct the child in front of me then later play up to the kid as if nothing every happened. (She gave the youth mixed signals). The social worker tried to intimidate me and constantly threated me that I would lose my license as a foster parent but never could explain legally what I was doing wrong. She also bad mouthed me to the receptionist and when I would call the agency, the receptionist was very rude and nasty in her tone of voice with me over the phone. I would not recommend anyone to be a foster parent with this agency. You may have a better experience if you are adopting a child. read more