Workers and volunteers with Safe and Sound — a San Francisco nonprofit focused on preventing and reducing the impact of childhood abuse, neglect and trauma throughout California — began the year with cause for celebration.
They’re ending the same way, too.
January marked the beginning of the 50th year since its 1973 founding, when Dr. Moses Grossman — UCSF’s pediatrics chief at the time — aimed to develop best practices and policies for responding to and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Pegah Faed, the CEO of Safe and Sound, said December is winding down on an equally strong note, thanks in part to the success of its annual holiday gift program.
Joyous sounds fill Safe & Sound’s Therapeutic Children’s Playroom as children giggle and play. The Playroom, always buzzing with activities, nurtures positive interactions among the kids, fostering bonding and social-emotional learning and school readiness skills. The children, ages 1 month – 12 years old, visit the Playroom while their parents participate in therapy services, attend workshops, or receive support from the dedicated Safe & Sound staff.
Recently, amidst the cheerful atmosphere, a poignant moment emerged. A child’s unexpected words cut through the laughter, “We do not have a home to go back to, my family doesn’t live there anymore.” The Safe & Sound team’s eyes swiftly turned toward Joey, the child who had just spoken these heartfelt words.
Immediately, our Care Coordination team (our Care Management Support who work directly with families) talked to his caregiver, Barbara, who was attending one of our parent education workshops. The team learned more about their situation and provided support by securing a safe accommodation and arranging a rental home. Additionally, the team provided for some basic needs, including warm clothing, food, an airbed, and gift cards for purchasing necessities. This assistance was made possible because of donors like YOU! Safe & Sound was able to immediately provide support to a family in crisis, minimizing the obvious trauma Joey—and his caregivers—were experiencing.
“I don’t know what I would do if Safe & Sound didn’t exist”, says Barbara, the child’s mom. “Because of Safe & Sound, we live under a roof, and Joey is in a safe place now.” Many families in vulnerable situations face stressful challenges like this, and the stress is compounded when a parent has to worry about their child being removed from them if they can’t provide basic needs like housing. Imagine life circumstances getting in the way of being able to provide care and nurturing for your child.
More than 10,000 families utilize the vital programs and services of Safe & Sound annually not because of a crisis but rather to help cope with their family’s daily stressful challenges.
Your generous donation today contributes directly to Safe & Sound’s success in improving life for children and families in San Francisco and the Bay Area. The assistance and support of the Safe & Sound community—individuals like YOU—empower us to fortify families like Barbara’s so they can be the most effective caregivers for their children. Your gift as a Safe & Sound community member ensures all families are not alone during some of the biggest challenges faced by parents and children.
Your gift as a Safe & Sound community member wraps all of this support around every family that comes Safe & Sound with hope of a better future for themselves and their children. Thank you for being a partner in our mission to prevent and reduce the impact of childhood abuse, neglect and trauma.
Happy holidays,
Gagan Sandhu
Chief Program Officer
Experts know what families need to stay safe and sound in their own communities, so building a community pathway sounds like a great idea. But what does it really mean for the families who want and need to access support from trusted and culturally relevant organizations that are right in the communities where they live and not from systems? And how do organizations listen to families to understand what they want and need, and then navigate the myriad of hurdles of funding, coordination and communication in order to reach and support those families.
Imagining whats best for families and communities is a big task. Thats why for this third event in the 2023 series we were excited to be joined by expert panelists who helped us imagine better ways to support and strengthen families and informed our thinking about how to take action to make it happen.
Our expert panelists:
Resources referenced during the webinar:
In this look back and move forward discussion we considered how much progress has been made in just one year to shift the paradigm from mandated reporting of families to building community supports so families can safely stay together and thrive in their own communities.
In August 2022 we released an issue brief in partnership with the Office of Child Abuse Prevention that looked at why California needs to reform its mandated reporting practices and provided a set of recommendations to begin to move forward with that reform. Reforming mandated reporting, a flawed system that has a disproportionate impact on African American, Native American and Latinx families, is an essential step towards building strong safe communities for everyone.
Many partners state and county agencies, community organizations and individuals who have experienced harmful outcomes of the system have played a role in moving this work forward.
Our expert panel:
Resources referenced during the webinar:
As a new school year approaches, the excitement of seeing friends and learning new things can quickly be erased by the stresses too often felt by families living in vulnerable situations. With rising inflation, financial constraints, limited access to resources, and emotional and psychological strain, parents may be unable to afford basic school supplies and support for their children. Your continued generous support helps Safe & Sound ensure that all children can return to school happy and ready to learn, and that families facing hardships receive the necessary support to overcome challenges all year long.
Safe & Sound plays a critical role in helping families by providing a wide range of services, resources, workshops, and classes specifically designed to alleviate the stress that often accompanies summer holidays and back-to-school time.
One of our signature programs, the Therapeutic Children’s Playroom, has experienced a surge in drop-in visits this summer. Our program is a vital resource, offering therapeutic care and early interventions for children and their parents/caregivers. Beyond providing a safe environment for children to participate in educational and enjoyable activities, we also facilitate a food pantry, organize family dinners, and offer emergency support for immediate needs. The other engaging and popular summer activities include movie sessions in the playroom, where children and caregivers enjoy together while indulging in popcorn, candy, and other fun treats. These additional services empower parents to access stabilizing resources and alleviate stress so parents and caregivers can do what they most want to do—focus on their children.
Sometimes even more support is needed. Our Integrated Children & Family Services (ICFS) program is dedicated to assessing and providing targeted interventions for high-needs children. It strengthens their social and emotional competence, ensuring they are ready to thrive in school and in our community. Additionally, we host a special Child Safety Awareness session designed specifically for parents. This session equips them with the necessary language and knowledge to keep their children safe as they return to school. Importantly, this session is conducted in both English and Spanish, ensuring accessibility for a wider range of families.
Families need our partnership all year long, so we offer ongoing services to support families throughout the year.
Our 24-hour TALK Line is available around-the-clock to provide immediate assistance and guidance whenever needed, handling more than 8,000 calls annually.
We provide parental drop-in services where parents can take a break and seek advice and support from our knowledgeable staff.
We offer parenting education classes and support groups that strengthen children’s social emotional learning and give parents the tools to foster healthy development.
For children, we provide ongoing and weekly groups that incorporate hands-on activities, adventures, arts and crafts sessions, such as PlayTime Together, yoga, Superheroes and Music Together.
These services and activities aim to create a supportive community where everyone can thrive. You remember the joy of returning to school—or the excitement in your child’s eyes on that first day back. Your generous support helps Safe & Sound create those memories for so many children and families in our community.
Your generous gift directly contributes to our mission of ensuring that our families have access to vital resources that prepare them for back to school and equip them for a strong year ahead. By alleviating the financial burden and reducing parents’ stress about affording these necessities, we can work together to prevent child abuse, neglect and trauma, and help open the door to a great school year ahead.
The Julia Morgan Ballroom, 465 California Street, San Francisco
Join us in drawing inspiration from the roaring 1920s as we pave the way for change in the 2020s.
We welcome you to the Safe & Sound speakeasy where you will sip on your Tom Collins and dance the night away to some 1920s sounds, while we highlight the impact Safe & Sound has had in the community for the past 50 years!
With generous partners and donors by our side since 1973, Safe & Sound has helped strengthen families and build community. Starting as the San Francisco Child Abuse Center, and now a statewide leader on prevention and family wellness, we are proud of the work we have done for-and with- children and families.
Let’s shape the next 50 years of safe children and strong families…Together!
As part of our celebrations this year, we will honor a true advocate for children and families who has significantly contributed to the field of child abuse prevention, Katie Albright, with the Dr. Moses Grossman Award.
*Blue Ribbon: The Blue Ribbon name and/or symbol are used to show support of child abuse prevention. When the Blue Ribbon Event started 26 years ago, Safe & Sound chose the name as a way to honor the vision of a future free from child abuse and neglect.
As part of our celebrations, we will honor a true advocate for children and families who has significantly contributed to the field of child abuse prevention, Katie Albright, with the Dr. Moses Grossman Award.
With grace and dedication, Katie Albright has exemplified generosity in mind, body, and spirit making an incredible difference in the lives of children and families. In recognition of her significant contributions to the field, we will present Katie Albright with the Dr. Moses Grossman Award. Named after our founder, the Dr. Moses Grossman Award, which has only been given three times in our 50 year history, acknowledges extraordinary achievements in the field of child abuse prevention.
This event is not just about commemorating the past; it’s about looking ahead to a future where all children, families, and communities are safe, supported, and loved. Together, we will raise funds to support our continued mission, ensuring that our organization’s vital initiatives can positively impact lives for the next 50 years.
For details on sponsor benefits, please view the Blue Ribbon Event Partnership Prospectus.
If you are interested in joining the event host committee please email Jessica.Sananes@safeandsound.org.
We are grateful to our generous sponsors for everything they do to ensure a safe & sound future for children and families.
The Polk Wealth Management Group
at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
Anonymous
Safe & Sound is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. A Blue Ribbon Luncheon Ticket is valued at $155.
Federal Tax ID number: 94-2455072
Read our Donor Privacy Policy.
In September 2022, Safe & Sound released an issue brief proposing recommendations that will build strong communities that help keep children safe and families together. Over the last year, Safe & Sound has been playing an important leadership role in the statewide effort to shift from reporting families into systems, to safely supporting families in the communities where they can thrive.
We invite you to join this effort by applying for the Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting (MRCS) Task Force through the English or Spanish language links below.
Dear Child, Family, and Community Well-Being Partners,
We are excited to connect with you today about California’s commitment to build communities that keep children and youth safe and families together. Specifically, California has approved the formation of a Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting (MRCS) Task Force to help realize this commitment.
This communication provides information on the purpose, progress, and next steps of the MRCS Task Force. We invite you to learn more, and to share this information broadly, as we all have a role to play in building communities that keep children safe and families together.
What we are working toward
The need for change in the mandated reporting system is evidenced in the large volume of reports to child protection hotlines each year that ultimately end up being screened out, unsubstantiated, or included as allegations of general neglect only. The negative impact of overreporting is most significant for Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Latino/a children and families who are disproportionately represented in these reports, and in the child welfare system overall.
On March 13, 2023, the California Child Welfare Council (CWC) unanimously approved a set of Community Pathway Recommendations with the following goals:
Achieving these two goals requires working side-by-side with individuals and families with lived experience and expertise to transform current mandated reporting practices and policies, build community support networks, and equip mandated reporters with tools and information to change their practices.
Dr. Mark Ghaly, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, clearly stated California’s commitment to transform the state’s mandated reporting system following the unanimous vote by the Child Welfare Council when he said,
“This will take a reorientation of both mindset and how people work—how we invest in the work, and invest in the people who do the work. This is not just an average vote that we turn our backs on. This is a vote with a commitment that we all stay involved and support a mindset shift to make this happen.”
Progress to date
Recommendation #1 of the set of Community Pathway Recommendations approved on March 13th calls for the implementation of a statewide Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force. The work of the Task Force has been underway since early April through regular meetings of the Task Force Working Group, brought together and led by Co-Chairs, Dana Blackwell and Roger De Leon.
The Working Group members represent the individuals and organizations that were involved in developing and advancing the original set of mandated reporting reform recommendations and include:
Task Force Co-Chairs:
Dana E. Blackwell, Casey Family Programs
Roger De Leon Jr., Father with lived experience and Child Welfare Council member
Prevention & Early Intervention (PEI) Committee Co-Chairs:
Kathy Icenhower, SHIELDS for Families
David Swanson Hollinger, Child & Family Services Ventura County
Vanessa Spagnoli, Casey Family Programs
Juliet Cox, Citizen Review Panel
Hillary Konrad, Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) within the California Department of Social Services
Katie Albright and Jenny Pearlman, Safe & Sound
We are interviewing key stakeholders and planning listening sessions with a broad group of individuals who have proximity to the practice and impact of mandated reporting. Inquiry and research will be a constant part of our process over the life of the MRCS Task Force as we work toward a set of recommendations targeted for June 2024.
What’s next—and how you can join us
We acknowledge the urgency for change and we seek to partner with individuals and groups who have proximity to the mandated reporter system through their personal and/or professional experience and expertise. Our goal is to inform and advance this work with those most impacted by the current system, and those who have the greatest ability to change it.
The next step is to build out the MRCS Task Force and subcommittee membership. If you are interested in participating on the MRCS Task Force, or one of its subcommittees, please complete the application. Submission deadline is August 9, 2023, 5:00pm (PDT). Members will be selected before the end of August.
We are committed to engaging an active and expert group of people who share our passion for seizing this historical moment to reform the mandated reporting system and safely narrow the front door to child welfare.
Please share this email and link to your networks to help support California’s commitment to building communities that keep children and youth safe, and families together.
Roger De Leon Jr.
Co-Chair, MRCS Task Force
Child Welfare Council Member
Parent Partner, Fatherhood Advocate, Professional with Lived Expertise
Dana E. Blackwell
Co-Chair, MRCS Task Force
Child Welfare Council Member
Senior Director, CA Strategic Consultation, Casey Family Programs
Over the past 15 years, Safe & Sound’s programs have directly served more than 150,000 individuals and contributed to a 67% reduction in the rate of child abuse in San Francisco. Although we are incredibly proud of this achievement, we must remember that almost 6 children out of 1,000 continue to suffer abuse and neglect across California. According to the 2022 Economics of Child Abuse Report, every day in California 141 children suffer the long-term impact of child abuse and neglect.
*Client name has been changed to respect confidentiality.
Felipe, a Spanish-speaking dad with two young daughters, learned about Safe & Sound when he was overwhelmed and struggling to be an only parent after his partner passed away. Felipe urgently needed support in creating an environment where his young daughters could learn and thrive. With the help of the Safe & Sound Clinical Care Coordination team, Felipe started in the Integrated Family Services (IFS) program—tailored for families living in conditions that create the highest risk for child abuse and neglect. Through this program, Felipe’s youngest daughter developed new social-emotional skills in Safe & Sound’s Playroom, paving the way for a successful transition to preschool. With the counselors’ help, Felipe and his daughters now have stable housing and access to additional community resources. Felipe recently graduated from the IFS program, but enjoys staying connected through our TALK Line, a 24-hour 7 days a week parental support line.
Felipe’s story is one of many family success stories you have helped to create at Safe & Sound. We all have a role in helping families build their resilience and strength to raise children in nurturing, and safe ways.
In 2022, 11,425 children and caregivers were served through Safe & Sound programs and supportive services. Each client’s story is unique, and we tailor our services and support depending on each family’s goals. Our successful work is rooted in an intentional focus on prevention—helping increase the number of family support centers like Safe & Sound, partnering with child-serving systems to help families safely stay together, and always looking at the data to create and deliver what works best for families.
There are more families like Felipe’s in the community who need your ongoing support. Together, we can all have an important part in strengthening families and protecting children. Your support will help Safe & Sound provide critical programs and services.
Dear friends and partners,
I am honored and excited to connect with you as the new CEO of Safe & Sound.
It’s been an extraordinary first few weeks filled with warm welcomes, thoughtful team discussions, inspiring connections with families, and a sneak peek into the incredible foundation this organization has built. I am grateful to Katie for the vision and extraordinary leadership that brought us to this point, and appreciate her guidance and thoughtful transition that have paved a path for the next chapter.
As I joined the panel discussion at our first 2023 Lunch & Learn webinar, only one week into my new position, I was struck by the almost palpable shift in the conversation—from one of hoping we can move toward prevention, to one of significant change already underway to support families in remaining safe and strong in the communities they trust. This year, April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month brought unprecedented momentum for that change as California’s Family First Prevention Services Plan received federal approval, counties submitted plans that will further strengthen families, and so many efforts centered on equity and social justice to address the indisputable overrepresentation of Black, Native American, and Latinx families in child welfare.
What an amazing time to step into the CEO role with the Safe & Sound team as the organization enters its 50th year of operation. As we emerge from a pandemic that shined a bright light on broken and inequitable systems of care, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine these systems to help children, families, and communities thrive. I want every child to have a safe future, strong family, and a sound community, and I will never stop striving to remove the barriers to equity for our most marginalized communities.
Heartfelt appreciation to all of you for the partnership and support you have offered to Safe & Sound. I am a believer there is no substitute for relationships, and indeed, it is the connections we make every day with families, community partners, and system leaders that help build our collective impact. I am excited to grow those connections—together, with your support.
My personal journey has brought me to this moment, and my expertise and experience will help carry forward the movement building work already underway at Safe & Sound and across our communities and state. We all have a role to play to keep families safe and sound, and I look forward to being in this work with you.
In community,
Pegah
In the first webinar of the 2023 series we look to build on the response to our 2022 series on the facts and faces of prevention and to continue the dialogue and momentum towards upstream prevention which is building at the state level and across the country. This momentum helps us to imagine and build stronger community supports, referred to as the community pathways, so we can shift away from systems and towards communities.
In this webinar our panelists help deepen our understanding of the impact of child abuse, neglect and trauma on children and families, and bring data and lived experience to inform how we can help communities to create a network of supports to mitigate that impact, especially for families and communities of color who are disproportionately impacted.
Our expert panel:
Resources referenced during the webinar: