Family And Child Welfare Services
Our agency began by serving pregnant and parenting women, and with our Family services, this effort continues. Under our family services, we strive to set mothers up for success while engaging their children in early intervention, prevention, development, and mental health programming. Furthermore, we understand that child abuse is preventable, and because of this, we partner under county-wide initiatives focused on reducing child abuse and neglect. We provide child welfare services to mothers and fathers throughout SPA 6. Additionally, we offer behavioral health services to families in our child welfare programs while also provide linkage and resources for their basic at home needs.
Family Services
CalHOPE
California HOPE (CalHOPE), a program overseen by the California Department of Health Care Services, delivers crisis support and builds community resiliency through free outreach, crisis counseling, and support services. Support services include home visits, case management, parenting classes, domestic violence classes, anger management classes, Fatherhood programming, peer-to-peer groups, and community events. CalHOPE also offers the chat service, CalHOPE Connect, which is staffed with Support Specialists 8 AM-Midnight | Monday – Sunday. If you would like to speak with someone outside of these hours, please call the CalHOPE warmline at 855-845-7415; the warmline will be open for calls 24/7.
Welcome Baby
Welcome Baby program serves pregnant and parenting women and their children ages 0-5. The program is available at no cost to South Los Angeles families who deliver or plan to deliver at one of 3 participating Welcome Baby hospitals, including St. Francis Medical Center, Centinela Hospital, and Martin Luther King Community Hospital.
Home Visitation
Home Visitation program serves at-risk pregnant or parenting women and their children ages 0-5 referred through SHIELDS’ Welcome Baby Program, CalWorks, and other LA County Department Programs. SHIELDS uses models from Healthy Families America® and Parents as Teachers®
Healthy Families America® (HFA)
Healthy Families America® (HFA) is a nationally recognized home visitation program model. HFA targets overburdened families who are at-risk for child abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences.
Parents as Teachers® (PAT)
Parents as Teachers® is an early childhood parent education and family support program serving families from pregnancy up to the child’s 5th birthday or enrollment in kindergarten.
Healthy Start
Healthy Start program serves pregnant and inter-conceptional women and their children ages 0-18 months who reside in the South Los Angeles community.
Child Development Center
Child Development Centers provide services to children 0-5 years of age who have parents enrolled in a SHIELDS program.
Heros and Sheros
Established in 1991, SHIELDS Heros & Sheros Youth Development Program is a prevention, early intervention, and mental health program for children and adolescents. Heros & Sheros addresses the high risk of alcohol and drug use of children who have parents with a substance use disorder. Heros and Sheros additionally target at-home concerns that affect healthy development, by helping children adjust at home and in school, stabilizing family interactions, and empowering youth with skills that prepare them for college and adulthood.
SHIELDS for Families family programs partner with Baby 2 Baby, LA Best Babies Network, Good+Foundation, and First 5 LA Best Start.
First 5 LA, DPSS Cal Works, LA County Department of Mental Health, and California Home Visitation Program provide funding and support for SHIELDS family services programs and informational materials.
Child Welfare Services
Family Preservation
Family Preservation provides support to at-risk families to prevent child abuse and neglect. Since 1992, we have served families referred by DCFS and Probation, focusing on preventing abuse, achieving permanency through reunification, adoption, or guardianship, and improving child development outcomes across all domains.
FP Assessment Services help families identified by DCFS as at risk due to mental health, substance abuse, or domestic violence issues. Licensed clinicians or registered interns use DCFS-approved tools to assess parental strengths and challenges, aiming to address problems early and prevent further intervention.
Services include assessment and linkage, up to three hours of in-home outreach counseling (IHOC), and up to three hours of teaching and demonstrating (T&D) homemaking services. We also facilitate Team Decision Making/Child and Family Team (TDM/CFT) meetings, up to three hours per meeting, and provide emergency funds as needed. These services are available through both the Emergency Response Command Post (ERCP) and regional offices.
Our goal is to provide timely support to help families overcome challenges and maintain a safe, nurturing environment for their children.
MAT (Multidisciplinary Assessment Team)
MAT provides services to families and children ages 0-21 involved with the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Offering a MAT assessment helps identify a child’s
needs that may place their family in danger of long-term separation.
Fatherhood
Fatherhood provides fathers and father figures with groups, support, and linkages to SHIELDS services. Fathers learn parenting tools, receive family resources, and develop a community with other fathers enrolled in the program.
SHIELDS for Families Child Welfare partners with Para Los Niños, Drew Child Development, and the Personal Involvement Center. The LA County Department of Child and Family Services and the LA County Department of Mental Health provide funding for SHIELDS child welfare services and informational materials.