Promoting Safe and Stable Families in Kern County
The Goals and Objectives of Kern County’s 2002-2005 Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) Plan focuses on two primary goals:
Goal I: Strengthen families and promote family self-sufficiency, thereby enriching the lives of our children.
Goal II: Create a system for delivering services to families and children that addresses critical children’s issues and is comprehensive, collaborative and efficient.
These goals weave together the following PSSF program Federal Title IV-B Plan outcomes:
- Reduce the recurrence of child abuse and/or neglect.
- Reduce time in foster care to reunification, without increasing re-entry.
- Reduce time in foster care to adoption.
- Reduce the incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care.
- Increase permanency for children in foster care.
- Increase placement stability.
- Reduce placements of young children in group homes or institutions.
With the approval of the Kern County Board of Supervisors, the Kern County Network for Children (KCNC), Kern’s Coordinating Council, awarded Kern County’s PSSF funds, through a competitive request for proposal process, to qualified agencies throughout Kern County.
Recognizing that no one organization, agency or funding source can alone meet the challenges of families in need, nor significantly impact statistics describing social conditions which are affected by any number of variables which can not be controlled, the KCNC has focused PSSF funding on key services and system components communities have needed most to provide a wholly integrated approach to strengthening the family and improving the quality of life for our children.
As the data described below indicates, significant strides have been made toward strengthening families and improving the quality of life for our children.
Kern River Valley Collaborative and FRC
Target Population: At-risk children and families in the communities of Kern River Valley
Services Provided and Results Data:
- 187 families with 303 children received social services during 2002-03
- Advocates assisted in screening 900 students for health related problems
- 400 families received education about domestic and family violence at the annual community Health and Safety Fair
- 122 families participated in nutrition classes
- At year-end, 135 families had received general case management services. Family functioning improved by 6% during the case management period.
- At year-end, 10 families had received intensive case management services. Family functioning improved by 39% during the case management period for these most at-risk families.
Southeast Bakersfield Partnership and FRC
Target Population: At-risk children and families living in Southeast Bakersfield
Services Provided and Results Data:
- 185 families with 559 children received social services during 2002-03
- 70 pregnant women received pregnancy-related services
- 53 parents participated in neglect prevention parenting classes
- All case managed children were tracked for immunizations and CHDP exams
- At year-end, families receiving case management services averaged 28% improvement in family functioning.
Indian Wells Valley Collaborative and FRC
Target Population: At-risk children and families living in the communities of Indian Wells Valley
Services Provided and Results Data:
- 164 families with 268 children received social services during 2002-03.
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys indicate a 97% satisfaction rate with Family Resource Center services.
- 20 parents participated in Parent Project, a parenting class taught by a DHS CPS worker. Parent confidence improved by an average 8%.
- At year-end, 46 families had received intensive case management services. Family functioning improved by 36% during the case management period for these most at-risk families.
Kern Child Abuse Prevention Council
Target Population: At-risk children and families living throughout Kern County
Services Provided and Results Data:
- 205 families with 535 children received Time-Limited Family Reunification services during 2002-03.
- - 71% completed their reunification plans and moved to Family Maintenance.
- - Family functioning improved by an average 56%
- - The average time to complete court orders was 6.3 months
- - Customer Satisfaction Surveys indicated a 97% satisfaction rate.
- 12 families with 33 children received Guided Visitation Services during 2002-03.
- A Parenting Strengths Assessment Tool indicated an average 16% improvement in parenting behaviors among these families.
- - 71% completed their reunification plans and moved to Family Maintenance.
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