For more background: LAist: Why Some LA County Social Workers Don't Want People To Know Where They Work LA Times: ‘Foster’ takes a dramatic look inside L.A.’s complicated foster care system
The filmmakers specifically chose the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services because it's the largest child welfare agency in the country, representing nearly 30,000 kids and covering more than 4,000 square miles. DCFS is also an agency that has made headlines for dramatic failures in its mission to protect the most vulnerable members of the community. In a horrific case from 2014, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez of Palmdale died following prolonged torture and abuse at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend. Four social workers involved in that case were charged with child abuse and falsifying public records. In a similar case last year, 10-year-old Anthony Avalos of Lancaster was found dead in his apartment even after teachers and relatives lodged more than a dozen calls to DCFS alleging the mother and her boyfriend were beating, denying food and water to and sexually abusing the boy and his siblings.
“Foster” ended up taking four years to make: two years to research and two to follow the five stories that make up its narrative.
Among the reasons for all this time was the great number of stakeholders, including judges, lawyers, social workers, bureaucrats and the children themselves, who needed to be part of the mix.
Even getting permissions for the minors involved to appear on screen was daunting, with the “Foster” team reporting that approximately 35 people had to sign off for each child filmed.
For more background:
LAist: Why Some LA County Social Workers Don't Want People To Know Where They Work
LA Times: ‘Foster’ takes a dramatic look inside L.A.’s complicated foster care system