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
Dear Safe & Sound Community:
Today we are thrilled to officially welcome our new CEO, Dr. Pegah Faed, to the Safe & Sound community. Pegah has dedicated her career to lasting change for children and families, and we are energized to embark on the next chapter for Safe & Sound with her leadership.
Before joining Safe & Sound, Pegah successfully led First 5 Marin’s efforts to create a new strategic plan, with an 8-Year Plan endorsed by the commissioners last year. Working with partners and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Pegah also coordinated the mental health pillar of the city’s COVID-19 response. Pegah’s positive impact has had a ripple effect across so many child- and community serving systems, and we know her commitment, expertise, and passion will continue to advance Safe & Sound as a leader in strengthening families, building communities, and nurturing childhoods.
It’s fitting that Pegah is joining us during National Child Abuse Prevention month. Our team has worked tirelessly – and successfully – through direct services, with our partners, and with political leaders to strengthen families, build communities, and nurture childhoods.
In the past year alone, we have:
It is this record of positive impact that we are so excited for Pegah to inherit and expand upon. We believe that with her own history of successfully steering large organizations, Pegah will usher in new opportunities for partnership, enhance services for our clients, and continue our investment in children and families across San Francisco and the Bay Area.
We hope you’ll join us in welcoming Pegah to the Safe & Sound community. She looks forward to meeting all of you soon.
Very truly yours,
Sarah Whitelaw and Bill Barnes, Board Co-Chairs
Dear Safe & Sound Community:
On behalf of the entire team at Safe & Sound, we are thrilled to announce the successful conclusion of a comprehensive CEO search process. Dr. Pegah Faed will be the new CEO of Safe & Sound beginning April 17th.
Dr. Faed brings a compelling depth of experience. While dedicating her career to lasting change for children and families, Dr. Faed has demonstrated a track record of designing, implementing, and evaluating successful programs, policy, and systems change efforts. Highlights include:
Dr. Faed shared that “I am honored and excited to join the Safe & Sound team as the organization enters its 50th year of operation. I feel fortunate for the opportunity to build upon their significant success, and to support the next chapter of growth. As we emerge from a pandemic that shined a bright light on the 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.”
Dr. Faed comes into an organization that has significantly grown its services and impact over the past sixteen years under the leadership of former CEO, Katie Albright. Safe & Sound has become a nationally-recognized leader in child advocacy. Highlights include:
Katie shares our excitement, and stated that “Pegah is a champion for children and a true leader in the work of strengthening families and building communities. She brings a wealth of experience, unwavering commitment to our mission, and a vision for the future that is deeply inspiring. I am confident that she will take Safe & Sound to new heights, and I look forward to watching the organization make an even greater difference in the lives of children and families across our community, California, and the country.”
Safe & Sound’s Chief Development Officer, Brian Byrdsong, will serve as Interim CEO until Dr. Faed begins. We offer our deepest appreciation to Brian for helping ensure continuity and strong leadership during this transition period.
We are energized to embark on the next chapter for Safe & Sound. This is an occasion to both reflect on our past to celebrate the successes we have achieved, and look to the future to deepen Safe & Sound’s positive impact in our community and beyond under the leadership of Dr. Pegah Faed.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please reach out to Brian Byrdsong, Interim Chief Executive Officer, at 415.425.8526 or brian.byrdsong@safeandsound.org.
Very truly yours,
Sarah Whitelaw and Bill Barnes, Board Co-Chairs; and
Doug Tom, Chair of the Search Committee and the CEO Success Committee