The holidays are a time for connection, warmth, and shared meals. Thanks to our community, more than 150 families will gather around their tables this season with one less worry — how to afford a festive meal.
Over the past three days, Safe & Sound’s Parent Advisory Committee organized our annual Holiday Meal Program. This parent-led effort recognizes how meaningful it is for families to share a special meal together, especially at this time of year.
Each registered family received a $75 Safeway gift card to help with the cost of groceries, along with household essentials like paper towels, tissues, and dishwashing liquid. Families with additional needs also received items such as diapers, baby formula, clothing, pillows, hygiene products, and fruit and vegetable vouchers.
In total, more than 150 families — including over 350 children — visited Safe & Sound this week. We are grateful to our Parent Advisory Committee, volunteers, and donors for helping make this holiday season a little brighter for families across San Francisco.
Safe & Sound is grateful for each person who donates to support our mission, enabling this important work to continue now and into the future.
The questions and answers below should help you understand more about how to give and the impact of your donation. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss any of the information with you directly, just get in touch using the details at the bottom.
How can I donate to Safe & Sound?
The easiest way to donate is to visit our dedicated donation page. See below for information on different ways to give.
Is my donation tax deductible?
Safe & Sound is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization (Federal Tax ID #94-2455072) and your donation is tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. To claim a donation as a deduction on your U.S. taxes, please keep your email donation receipt as your official record. We’ll send it to you upon successful completion of your donation.
How financially stable is Safe & Sound?
Safe & Sound is a financially stable and growing organization. You can visit our past Annual Reports and Audited Financials which are publicly available on our website.
Who are the Board and Management of Safe & Sound?
Our board and personnel are publicly available on our website on our Team page. You can read more about our CEO, Dr. Pegah Faed in this announcement published at her appointment.
What program will my money be used to support?
Safe & Sound combines services, research, and advocacy to strengthen families in their communities, address childhood trauma, and prevent abuse. To achieve our mission and meet the evolving needs of children and families, Safe & Sound shows up in multiple, interconnected roles. Each role plays a vital part in creating the conditions where children and families can thrive. That’s why your donation will be used to support all areas of our operation to continue this holistic approach and create a future free from childhood trauma, where all children, families, and communities are safe, supported, and loved. You can see a breakdown of our revenue and expenses in our Annual Report which creates transparency around our donations income and program costs.
How do I know if my donation is having any impact?
As a donor, you will be subscribed to Safe & Sound’s regular email updates, including information on the outcomes of specific appeals. You will also be sent an online copy of our Annual Report each summer which sets out the work delivered over the preceding year, program statistics, and our financial breakdown. You can visit past Annual Reports online now.
How does my donation help prevent child abuse?
Safe & Sound combines services, research, and advocacy to strengthen families in their communities, address childhood trauma, and prevent abuse. Our programs work across the spectrum of prevention and intervention to strengthen family resilience. We embed supports directly into a family’s life by connecting them to evidence-informed services such as parenting classes, and counseling; we convene diverse partners, build their capacity to recognize early signs of family stress, and create referral pathways that are simple, family-centered, and culturally responsive; and we advocate for systems reform to foster a community-centric model of family support that is preventative rather than reactive. Your donation would support each of these programs. Learn more about what we do.
What big projects are you working on right now?
Safe & Sound is leading a bold, transformative effort to reimagine how families in San Francisco—and ultimately across California—access the support they need to thrive. The Community Pathway Initiative aligns all the areas of Safe & Sound’s work, including advocacy, direct services, education and partnership. Through this Initiative, we are creating long-term, sustainable transformation by building a scalable, upstream, community-based model, leveraging a network of family support centers, designed to reduce child welfare and criminal justice involvement by providing timely, trusted, and trauma-informed care before crises escalate. This work is a continuation of our vision set out in a 2022 issue brief Creating a Child & Family Well-Being System: A Paradigm Shift from Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting, which laid out a roadmap to shift from a punitive, fear-based reporting model to a supportive, community-based approach. This initiative is a long-term project requiring sustainable funding streams, which could leave a powerful legacy. You can read more on the Community Pathway Initiative page.
How do you collaborate with other organizations?
Safe & Sound works in partnership with government and community organizations to deliver our mission.
How do I donate by check?
Checks should be made payable to: Safe & Sound ATTN: Development 1757 Waller Street, San Francisco, CA 94117
What are other ways to give?
There are many ways you can support Safe & Sound, such as in-kind donations, pledging a multi-year gift, volunteering your time or donating stock. Some other examples include:
To learn more about these different options, visit https://safeandsound.org/take-action/more-ways-to-give/.
What are employee matching gift programs?
Employee matching gift programs are corporate giving programs in which the company matches donations made by employees to eligible nonprofit organizations. It’s an easy way to double your contribution to us! Read more on this page.
Why do you prefer recurring donations?
Signing up for a regular gift provides Safe & Sound with a more predictable income, allowing us to plan sustainable services 365 days a year.
I need support with my recurring donation
You can email us at donations@safeandsound.org or call our office at (415) 668-0494 if you have questions about your recurring donation.
When will my recurring donation start?
Recurring donations are processed on the date of your original transaction.
Will I receive a confirmation for each monthly donation?
You will receive an email confirmation of the start of your recurring donation, and an email receipt each month thereafter. An annual summary of your total giving will be provided in December.
You can contact a member of the team by emailing donations@safeandsound.org or call our office at (415) 668-0494. We would be happy to answer any additional questions.
We are thrilled to celebrate the passage of SB 119, signed into law on July 29, 2025. This landmark social services trailer bill amends the California Welfare and Institutions Code and represents a visible, powerful endorsement of the work of the Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force—a transformational initiative advanced in partnership with CA Health & Human Services, CA Department of Social Services, and the Prevention & Early Intervention Committee.
Safe & Sound is at the forefront of efforts to reimagine mandated reporting systems in California. In 2022, we authored the issue brief Creating a Child & Family Well-Being System: A Paradigm Shift from Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting, which laid out a roadmap to shift from the current reporting model to a supportive, community-based approach.
Building on this foundation, we led the successful passage of California Assembly Bill 2085, which amended California law to ensure that poverty alone is not treated as “general neglect”—a critical step toward reducing the overreporting of low-income families, particularly those identifying as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
As a core member and facilitator of the statewide Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting Task Force, Safe & Sound continues to drive this systemic change, helping lead the development and implementation of 14 reform recommendations presented to the California Child Welfare Council, three of which are delivered through the passage of SB 119.
✅ Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee (MRAC)
For the first time in law, a Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee (MRAC) shall be established by the California Child Welfare Council. It is the intent of the Legislature that the MRAC ensure the transformation of mandated reporting to community supporting continues and disparities in the child welfare system are eliminated. (Delivering on Task Force Recommendation 1)
✅ Comprehensive Prevention Plans (CPPs)
When counties update their Comprehensive Prevention Plans, the update shall include the county’s plans to provide information for mandated reporters regarding the resources available to support families in their communities. This helps to ensure that families can be connected to early, community-focused interventions, not unnecessary surveillance. (Delivering on Task Force Recommendation 12)
✅ Mandated Reporter Training Reform
The law requires that the development of the new statewide mandated reporter training incorporate content identified in the Task Force recommendations. Critically, the training must be developed in partnership with individuals with lived expertise, county child welfare agencies, and other stakeholders, bringing real-world insight to a system in urgent need of change. (Delivering on Task Force Recommendation 9)
This is more than a policy win: it’s a turning point. By embedding Task Force recommendations into statute, California has signaled its long-term commitment to shifting from a system rooted in reporting and punishment toward one grounded in support, equity, and community trust.
The passage of SB 119 proves that systemic transformation is not only possible, it’s happening.
A huge thank you to the California Child Welfare Council, the CA Department of Social Services, the Prevention & Early Intervention Committee, members of the former MRCS Task Force, members of the current Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee, our legislative champions, and everyone who has pushed this work forward.
Families across San Francisco are facing mounting challenges that threaten their ability to meet basic needs. As the federal government shutdown continues, uncertainty about food assistance programs like SNAP compounds existing hardships—from housing insecurity and rising food prices to fear of immigration enforcement and the lingering impacts of the pandemic.
SNAP, the nation’s largest anti-hunger program, has provided essential support to low-income families since the Great Depression. Now, with program funds expected to run out as early as this weekend, thousands of working families in San Francisco could lose critical purchasing power for food. Experts estimate that the SNAP shortfall may reach $20 million per month in the City and County of San Francisco starting November 1. We applaud the mayor’s announcement that San Francisco SNAP recipients will receive November benefits through a public-private partnership, but we know that families need more to address these mounting challenges now and beyond November.
In response, a coalition of San Francisco nonprofits—led by Safe & Sound and the Family Services Alliance, a network of more than 40 organizations—has launched the Alliance Fund for Families. This emergency fund will provide direct aid to families struggling with food and housing insecurity, deportation fears, and the compounding pressures of inflation and instability.
“Families are under enormous stress right now,” said Dr. Pegah Faed, CEO of Safe & Sound. “When parents are forced to choose between rent, groceries, and child care, the ripple effects on children and communities are profound. Through the Alliance Fund for Families, we’re making sure support reaches those who need it most—right now.”
Family Resource Centers across San Francisco have long served as trusted hubs for care, connection, and advocacy. As the effects of the federal shutdown ripple through the community, these organizations are once again stepping up to ensure that families do not face this crisis alone.
The Alliance Fund for Families aims to raise emergency funds to meet immediate needs—while continuing to advocate for the long-term stability and thriving of all San Francisco families.
To donate or learn more, visit this dedicated page.
About the Family Services Alliance
The Family Services Alliance is a San Francisco–based coalition of 40 member organizations working collectively to deliver quality programs, coordinate resources and services, and shape policies that support all San Francisco families. Safe & Sound serves as the backbone agency of the Alliance.
About Safe & Sound
Safe & Sound believes families thrive in supportive communities. Through direct services, research, and advocacy, we strengthen families, address childhood trauma, and prevent abuse—helping ensure every child grows up safe, supported, and loved.
It’s that spooky, ghostly, ghouling time of year. Halloween is a fun holiday for the whole family and a fantastic way to spend time with your family and neighbors. But as you prepare to say Trick-or-Treat, consider a few safety rules to ensure it’s a safe and fun day for everyone.
Casey Family Programs, the nation’s largest operating foundation focused on safely reducing the need for foster care in the United States, has published a new article about how helplines can support children and families.
The article explains that while child welfare systems currently rely on mandated and voluntary reporters to share suspicions of child maltreatment through calls to a child protection hotline, many jurisdictions are examining their hotline data and re-examining their mandated reporting procedures in order to reduce reports to these hotlines when situations do not warrant child welfare assessment, investigation, or involvement.
The article argues that child protection hotlines are neither equipped nor designed to effectively deal with the overwhelming number and variety of family conditions presented in the reports they receive, leading to investigation backlogs which distract agencies from their mandate to keep children at high risk of maltreatment safe from harm and those already victims of maltreatment safe from further harm.
Instead of the reporting hotlines, different helplines, whether they are operated or supported by child protection agencies, or operated separately like Safe & Sound’s TALK Line, can provide solutions for families at risk of child welfare involvement, including those experiencing economic stress, by connecting children and families to upstream services.
Ensuring that mandated reporters know how to access helplines, in addition to the families themselves, is critical in the goal to decrease unwarranted calls to the child protection hotlines. This is central to Safe & Sound’s Community Pathway initiative, a scalable, upstream, community-based model designed to reduce child welfare and criminal justice involvement by providing timely, trusted, and trauma-informed care.
The article goes on to outline the other conditions that will support the success of a family support helpline with examples from across the United States. You can read the full article, which includes a list of different helplines nationwide, on the Casey Family Programs Website.
The TALK (Telephone Aid in Living with Kids) Line is a 24-hour parent & caregiver support warmline providing early interventions, support, and community-based referrals to parents and caregivers experiencing any kind of stress or support with parenting or providing care to kids. The TALK Line is primarily staffed by trained and supervised volunteer line operators. We respond to incoming calls and also conduct regular follow-up with parents and caregivers with heightened needs.
Need support in parenting or providing care to kids? Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 415‑441‑KIDS (5437)
Safe & Sound’s Board of Directors, the Blue Ribbon Host Committee and event co-chairs Farah Makras and P. Wayne Osborne & Gregory R. Price brought together more than 400 of San Francisco’s most dedicated civic leaders, philanthropists, and advocates including California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and former San Francisco Mayors Art Agnos and Willie L. Brown, Jr. to the Palace Hotel’s Grand Ballroom on Friday, October 17th for their annual Blue Ribbon Celebration event. This year’s theme, “Blue Skies of Hope”, perfectly captured the spirit of the evening — one of optimism, compassion, and collective action to ensure every child grows up safe, supported, and loved.
For the last half-century, Safe & Sound has supported children and families in San Francisco, committed to their mission to prevent and reduce the impact of childhood abuse, neglect, and trauma. Last year alone, they supported nearly 14,000 children and caregivers.
Dr. Pegah Faed, Safe & Sound CEO, made an inspiring address underscoring both the urgency and the impact of this work. Each day, 127 children in California are confirmed victims of abuse or neglect — yet through early intervention, education, and support, Safe & Sound has helped reduce child abuse in San Francisco by 64% over the past two decades. “Hope isn’t something we wait for — it’s something we create” she said, making the case for investing early in a family’s wellbeing before crisis hits, to give children the chance to grow up Safe & Sound.
One of the most emotional highlights of the event came when Alexis Alexander, a Safe & Sound parent and member of the organization’s Parent Advisory Committee, courageously shared her family’s story of struggle and resilience over the last 30 years. Her words brought the mission to life, reminding everyone that by supporting one person, they can go on to create a ripple effect that lifts up a whole community.
The event’s inspiring program, highlighting the importance of prevention and the transformative power of community, and the palpable energy in the room led to supporters raising over $1.1 million through the event, enabling Safe & Sound to expand its reach and ensure that more families across San Francisco and the Bay Area can access the vital resources they need to thrive.
Safe & Sound is deeply grateful for the support from the generous community that attended and sponsored this event and those that provide ongoing donations. This was an evening that celebrated not only philanthropy, but the enduring power of community. With record-breaking support and hearts full of purpose, the 2025 Blue Ribbon Celebration reaffirmed that when San Francisco comes together, every child can dream under clear, blue skies.
One way people can engage with Safe & Sound this holiday season is by participating in the Holiday Gift Program, which will make a meaningful impact on families with children in need. Safe & Sound’s annual Holiday Toy Store brings hundreds of Bay Area children joy, turning holiday wishes into reality. Each contribution helps to create an inspiring space for caregivers to collect toys, clothes and books to gift their children this holiday season.
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About Safe & Sound:
Safe & Sound knows families thrive in supportive communities. We combine services, research, and advocacy to strengthen families in their communities, address childhood trauma, and prevent abuse.
Our direct services reach thousands of individuals each year, helping families build their own unique strengths. In San Francisco, we sit at the center of a network of dozens of organizations that comprise a web of support for local families. And through our research and advocacy, we understand and develop solutions to systemic problems faced by families across California and beyond. We do this because every child has the potential to grow into a happy and healthy member of their community.
Losing a child is a devastating experience that no one should have to endure. The San Francisco Child Death Review Team works to develop ways to provide the surviving family and community members with resources to support them during this difficult time. This team has recently published a new pamphlet of resources that offer support and guidance for those navigating the complex journey of grief and loss.
CDRT was established under California Law to assist local agencies in identifying and reviewing unexpected child deaths and facilitating communication between agencies and organizations. For San Francisco City and County’s Child Death Review Team, Safe & Sound works with several agencies:
San Francisco’s CDRT recognized the need for families to have one, combined, easy to navigate source listing resources following a tragically fatal event. The newly published pamphlet collates the organizations within the City and County of San Francisco which provide practical or emotional services to support those navigating the difficult journey of losing a child. The pamphlet is designed to be shared with families by medical investigators, nurses, and hospitals.
Safe & Sound prepared the pamphlet for the CDRT to further the team’s role of supporting both the families, and the community of organizations providing these essential resources.
The first five years of life mark a critical time for childhood development. Early experiences and relationships with caregivers shape the architecture of a developing brain and lay the foundation for mental health across an individual’s life.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently released a clinical report, (published in the September edition of Pediatrics), endorsing preventive pediatric screenings for mental health, emotional, and behavioral concerns and offering providers additional clinical guidance to support their practice.
However, these endorsements can only have value if there are the providers available to deliver them. The need for these mental health roles has never been greater.
Despite the recognized importance of mental health in early years, the mental and behavioral health needs of infants, toddlers, and young children are often overlooked.
California has started to increase investment and launch initiatives in mental health for older children, but state and local governments are yet to do more to ensure we meet the mental health needs of California’s youngest, particularly as recent changes in mental and behavioral health funding through Proposition 1 and the Mental Health Services Act may soon impact the availability of community-based prevention and early intervention services.
First Five Center for Children’s Policy issued a report last year highlighting a concerning mental health provider workforce shortage impacting the nation and our state.
Some key findings highlighted in the report:
This shortage is particularly acute for providers serving specific sub-populations of California children, such as children in Medi-Cal, infant and toddlers, and for providers that are culturally and linguistically relevant for the diverse population of children in the state. First Five Center for Children’s Policy’s Brief proposes several key recommendations for state leaders which aim to address the critical shortage of IECMH providers, improve access to mental health services for families with young children, and reduce the inequitable impacts of the current system.
Subsequent data released by the California Department of Health Care Access and Information further emphasized these findings, explaining that in 2025, all 58 counties are projected to face a shortage across all behavioral health roles examined, and that the challenges facing mental health workforce supply and demand are projected to persist through to 2033.
In order to meet these needs, Safe & Sound works to build the system of care for children and families in San Francisco and beyond in a number of different ways.
Often, in the absence of a mental health provider, peer support is essential. Safe & Sound, as the backbone agency of the Family Services Alliance (FSA), is piloting ways to increase the number of family support providers that are reflective of their community and able to offer this peer support. By partnering with Community Health Worker training programs we can ensure that experienced community members get valuable training in peer support and then are placed within trusted Family Resource Centers. They could then undertake tasks such as mental health screenings that could be an early indicator of mental health issues requiring further support, navigation to resources and mental health education.
Where mental health providers are available, the FSA is working to strengthen the connections between these providers and family support services so that a family’s holistic needs can be met. Without access to basic needs such as shelter or food, it is difficult for a family to address trauma, anxiety or depression in therapy, lessening the value of mental health support. Safe & Sound and the FSA work to ensure that families’ basic needs are provided for both directly, and by increasing connections and advocating for more resources for families.
The Center for Youth Wellness, a program of Safe & Sound, works with pediatric clinics nationwide to support the introduction and implementation of ACEs screenings, and to ensure that children who have a high ACEs score are referred to Enhanced Care Management where they can receive a high level of case management.
And finally, Safe & Sound’s clinical care team based at both of our San Francisco locations provided 1,068 therapy sessions in 2024 for children and caregivers in our community. Through therapeutic play, our clinicians support families to have the tools they need to thrive.
Safe & Sound collaborated with Support for Families, a fellow member of the Family Services Alliance, of which Safe & Sound is the backbone agency, to provide a Spanish-language workshop specifically for caregivers wanting to understand more about Special Education.
Support for Families helps Bay Area parents of children with disabilities access free resources, support, and guidance. This special workshop for parents and caregivers of children with special needs enabled caregivers to connect, learn, and feel more supported and confident in supporting their child’s education.
The workshop covered:
Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding, written plan for students with disabilities that details specialized instruction, related services, goals, and accommodations to ensure they receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Mandated by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the IEP is collaboratively developed by a team including parents, educators, and specialists to address the student’s unique needs and track their academic and functional progress.
The workshop had a very high turnout showing a real need for this information amongst our community of families. Caregivers were able to bring their children to our Therapeutic Playroom while they attended the workshop, allowing them to focus on the content.
This workshop was one of a number of new initiatives by Safe & Sound to expand our services for local families to meet their specific needs.