Safe & Sound CEO Dr. Pegah Faed was recently featured on the Wisconsin Institute for Child and Family Well-being podcast to discuss how narrative change can reshape systems that serve families experiencing stress, isolation, or poverty.
Dr. Faed explains that dominant narratives often frame struggling families as a risk rather than as families in need of support. These perceptions can influence decisions every day in schools, clinics, and mandated-reporting situations. Drawing on findings from Safe & Sound’s Economics of Child Abuse report, showing that roughly 87% of child protective services reports in California are not substantiated; Wisconsin data are nearly identical. These unsubstantiated reports frequently reflect unmet needs such as unstable housing, lack of childcare, and limited access to mental health and economic supports—not child abuse.
This reality underscores a critical opportunity: to shift from a system that reacts to perceived risk toward one that proactively supports family well-being.
Safe & Sound continues to advocate for a child and family well-being system that responds earlier, strengthens community-based supports, and shifts narratives that equate poverty with parental harm. Listen to the full episode.
Read and explore the Economics of Child Abuse report and interactive county data.
We’re proud to share that the historic building housing Safe & Sound at 1757 Waller St. has officially been designated a San Francisco landmark.
Read the full article here: Landmark Status Protecting At-Risk Buildings(Richmond Review / Sunset Beacon, April 3, 2026).
Originally built in 1895 as one of San Francisco’s early firehouses, this building has long been part of the city’s history. For decades, it served as a fire station protecting surrounding neighborhoods. Since 1987, it has been home to Safe & Sound—where we work to prevent child abuse, reduce trauma, and strengthen families.
The landmark designation recognizes both the building’s historic significance and its continued role in serving the community. Today, the same space that once supported first responders now supports children and families in crisis, carrying forward a legacy of care, safety, and protection.
We are honored to continue our work in a place so deeply rooted in San Francisco’s history—and grateful that it will be preserved for generations to come.
Friday, October 16th
6:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Fairmont Hotel
950 Mason Street, San Francisco
Cocktail Reception, Seated Dinner and Dancing!
Cocktail Attire
Join us as we celebrate our achievements and impact with our community of supporters!
Please join us to celebrate and fundraise for the families we serve at Safe & Sound! For more than 52 years, we have been at the forefront of providing programs that keep children safe and families strong. Support our mission at our 29th Annual Blue Ribbon Celebration and help us build brighter futures for our families and community!
Starting as the San Francisco Child Abuse Center in 1973, 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!
The Blue Ribbon name and symbol are used to show support of child abuse prevention. When the Blue Ribbon Celebration started 29 years ago, Safe & Sound chose the name as a way to honor the vision of a future free from child abuse and neglect.
If you are interested in joining the event host committee, please email Brian.Byrdosng@safeandsound.org.
Tracy Chen
David Guiffrida
Farah Makras
Anna Moy
Katie Riester
Alkey Pandya
Adam Swig
Sarah Whitelaw
We are grateful to our generous 2025 sponsors for their support in helping create a safe and strong future for children and families.
The Polk Wealth Management Group
at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
Anonymous
Topher & Sloane Conway
P. Wayne Osborne & Gregory R. Price
Anonymous
Anonymous
Adobe Employee Giving Program
Katie Albright & Jake Schatz
Bedford Insurance Brokerage, Inc.
Dr. Jennifer Brokaw and Dr. Allen Fry
Tracy Chen & Tom Schoenherr
Julie & Greg Flynn
Greer Odom Charitable Fund
Mary & Brent Gullixson
Farah & Victor Makras
Jillian Manus & Rob Chesnut
JaMel & Tom Perkins
Tom Steyer & Kat Taylor
Casey Family Programs
Sarah & David Whitelaw
Anonymous
Tina & Joe Bou-Saba
Rachel J. Castillo
The Carmichael Family
Becca Chappell
CohnReznick
Jason & Kat Di Piazza
Patricia Duffy & Les Sherman
Melinda Ellis Evers & William Evers
Faraz Ezazi
Golden State Warriors
JP Morgan
Kaiser Permanente
Lowhurst Family Foundation
Hilary & Jamie Mendola
Liz Moress & Carolyn Otis Catanzaro
Eric Murphy & Timothy Wu
Northern Trust
Polsinelli
Katie & David Riester
SSL Law Firm LLP
TEF Design
UCSF
Laura & James Ward
Safe & Sound is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. A Blue Ribbon Celebration Ticket is valued at $195.
Federal Tax ID number: 94-2455072
Read our Donor Privacy Policy.
Child abuse and neglect, and the trauma they can cause, are complex problems with far-reaching consequences to individuals, communities, and society as a whole. Last year in California there were 46,568 survivors of child abuse and neglect, or 127 children each day. These numbers represent so many missed opportunities for prevention. The total economic burden incurred by California communities for the lifetime costs of these survivors is $16.8 billion. For the same amount, 1.29 million children could be sent to preschool.
The impact on the children, families and communities affected last for a lifetime. You can read more on this page about the long-reaching effects of abuse and toxic stress on impacted children and their families. The data also brings into stark relief the financial cost of the current approach that prioritizes intervention after a crisis has occurred instead of an approach that focuses on prevention.
Child and family well-being is shaped by a complex web of influences—from individual experiences to broader societal conditions. To truly prevent harm and foster resilience, our work is holistic, multi-level, and interconnected, and our Strategic Goals are intentionally woven into each level of the ecological framework of prevention. Whether we are supporting a caregiver in crisis, building trauma-responsive practices within a family-serving organization, or advocating for just policies at the state level, each of Safe & Sound’s goals reflects a commitment to ensuring that children are safe, families are strong, and communities are equipped to thrive.
Safe & Sound’s programming has already achieved remarkable results—reaching over 200,000 individuals in the last 20 years alone, and creating systems-change, contributing to a 64% reduction in the rate of child abuse and a 51% reduction in entries into foster care in San Francisco. But we can’t do this alone. Safe & Sound is powered by people—by all of you who show up, speak out, and stand with families. Thank you for being on the journey with us.
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, and is supported by the discussions held in our tri-annual Lunch & Learn webinars, the recordings of which you can revisit on this page.
This initiative is a long-term project requiring sustainable funding streams, which could leave a powerful legacy. Safe & Sound will continue to offer updates as we make progress to further this initiative, but if you are interested to know more we would welcome a discussion with you to see how you would be interested to support. You can contact a member of the team by emailing donations@safeandsound.org.
At Safe & Sound, we believe every family has strengths—and with the right support, those strengths can grow into deep, lasting resilience.
As part of our strengths-based, public health approach, we have integrated the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Protective Factors Framework into our core practice model. Importantly, the Protective Factors are not just tools for working with individual families—they also reflect the conditions communities and systems must create to ensure all families can thrive.
Over the past several years, emerging research has reinforced what we at Safe & Sound have long recognized: that child and family well-being is shaped by a dynamic, interconnected set of forces that extend far beyond the home. Stanford’s New Ecology of Early Childhood (2025) calls attention to how today’s families are navigating a dramatically evolving landscape—one marked by rising economic inequality, climate change, technology-driven isolation, and intensified systemic racism and social inequities. This research underscores the importance of holistic, community-based prevention strategies—strategies that Safe & Sound has embedded within our own Ecological Framework of Prevention.
To bring this framework to life, we developed the Resilience Tree—a visual representation of how the Five Protective Factors and the Domains of Wellness work together to support individual and family well-being. Just like a tree needs strong roots and nurturing conditions to flourish, families need stability, connection, knowledge, and support to thrive.
Protective Factors: Interrelated attributes or conditions in families and communities that simultaneously (a) prevent or mitigate the effect of exposure to risk factors and stressful life events, and (b) build family strengths and a family environment that promotes optimal child development.
Domains of Wellness: This is an evidenced-based set of skills cocreated by the Center for Youth Wellness that actively build resilience and buffer the effects of toxic stress. These skills include: proper nutrition, good sleep hygiene, exercise, mindfulness, spending time in nature, attuning to one’s mental health, and having supportive relationships.
The Resilience Tree is both a symbol and a tool: a guide for how we build resilience from the ground up, while also reminding us that lasting impact requires strong, supportive environments rooted in equity, access, and care. Through this model, we connect our direct service work to broader systems change—because prevention begins not just with families, but with the world around them.
Our guiding principles reflect the core truths that guide how we understand the challenges facing children and families—and how meaningful, lasting change happens. Grounded in research, lived experience, and decades of practice, these beliefs shape our strategies, inform our theory of action, and serve as the foundation for how we design and deliver our work. They are the lens through which we see the world and the reason we pursue this mission with urgency and care.
Safe & Sound is delighted to welcome Kula Koenig as our new Chief Policy Officer. Kula brings more than a decade of experience advancing policies that support children, families, and community wellbeing. At a time when families are facing increasing pressure from cuts to essential social services, her leadership comes at a critical moment for our work. Kula is excited to help advance Safe & Sound’s mission to strengthen families and prevent child abuse through thoughtful policy and systems change.
Most recently, Kula served as Chief Program Officer at Public Health Advocates, where she led Defend California, a statewide public health movement, and All Children Thrive, supporting youth across more than 30 cities to pass trauma-informed policies that promote children’s mental health. She is also the founder of the Social Justice PolitiCorps, a Sacramento-based nonprofit that builds civic participation and leadership in communities most impacted by structural inequities.
Kula’s previous roles include Senior Director at the United Way California Capital Region, District Director for a California legislator, and Government Relations Director at the American Heart Association, where she helped advance policies on safe drinking water, childhood nutrition, and tobacco reduction. She has also served as President of the Sacramento chapter of Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA).
A survivor of the Liberian civil war and a former refugee, Kula grounds her leadership in the belief that policy, prevention, and civic engagement must be inclusive, accessible, and healing. She is honored to join Safe & Sound and looks forward to advancing policies that strengthen families and communities across California.
As we close the year and look forward to what is on the horizon, I want to focus on something at the heart of Safe & Sound – the feeling of hope.
Hope is not abstract. It’s what carries us through the hard moments – the belief that better days are not just possible, they are coming. This past year has tested that belief. Families across San Francisco are struggling, and for Safe & Sound, the road has not been easy.
But hope is not just something we feel – it is something we build together.
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.
While challenges persist, your partnership ensures that our work continues to make a real difference – bringing hope and healing to children and families in San Francisco and beyond.
Last year alone, thanks to you, we:
Just earlier this month we brought joy to more than 600 local children through our annual Holiday Toy Store, enabling families to have the festive season they dreamed of, and back in November we helped to host a first-of-its-kind convening for 350 City officials, philanthropic partners, and community members, including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, to find coordinated solutions that ensure our city is a place where families can live and children have the resources required to succeed.
That’s what building hope looks like, in action.
And the effect is profound. When parents are supported and children feel safe, they can dream bigger. That’s why at Safe & Sound we focus on the roots – the place where strong families grow. We strengthen parents and families before a crisis occurs. We advocate for systems that lift families up instead of tearing them down.
As we look to the future, Safe & Sound will continue to be bold, ambitious and hopeful. We are building a clear pathway to community support and evolving our programs and services to meet the changing needs of our community. Through our transformative Community Pathway Initiative, we are shaping a future free from childhood trauma, where all children, families, and communities are safe, supported, and loved. We believe that the work we do today will have implications for generations to come, for the children and families that we meet directly, and those touched by the reforms we champion.
I want to thank our dedicated staff and volunteers, our passionate Board Members, and most importantly, the brave children and families who walk through our doors or reach out to us every day for support – they are at the center of who we are, what we do, how we do it, and why we are here.
But all of this would not be possible without you. On behalf of the Safe & Sound team, I wish you and your loved ones a happy and prosperous 2026, and thank you for your ongoing commitment to our mission.
Together, we are tending the roots.
Together, we are building hope.
Together, we are Safe & Sound.
Thank you, and Happy Holidays
The holidays are a time for joy, laughter and giving special gifts to our loved ones. However, for some families struggling with rising costs, this can be a source of increased stress and potential disappointment for children who would have to go without.
That’s why, each year, Safe & Sound hosts a Holiday Toy Store, giving parents the opportunity to book a shopping appointment so they can browse and choose the perfect gift for their child, from items generously donated by individuals and businesses.
What makes this initiative so special is not just the outcome, but how teamwork from all our staff and wider community brings it together. To create this magical 3-day event takes a huge effort from people across the organization, taking on tasks such as: receiving donated gifts; making an inventory; booking timed shopping sessions with families to ensure a stress-free and efficient process for the shoppers; receiving, collecting and unboxing deliveries; setting up and decorating the store to make it a cheerful and welcoming holiday themed space; staffing the store during the browsing time; and providing childcare for the parents shopping. Every role matters, and every act of support contributes to the joy that fills our space.
Seeing the magic of the festive season come to life for the children while easing some of the pressure for their parents and caregivers, makes it all worthwhile. We were delighted that more than 300 families came to shop at the Toy Store last weekend, choosing gifts for over 630 children during the three days.
This year we were honored to have San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stop by to see the Toy Store in action and chat to some of the shoppers and staff.
The holiday toy store initiative is entirely funded and stocked by generous donations. If you would like to support us this holiday season so we can continue our vital work and give even more offerings next year, please donate today.
Safe & Sound’s new online calendar allows website visitors to easily visualize upcoming events and reserve their place.
The calendar will show all the types of events that Safe & Sound runs, including groups, workshops and parties for parents and families, volunteering opportunities, fundraising events, and professional development training sessions. The calendar will also make it easier for families to know when the Safe & Sound office is closed for holidays.
Through a seamless integration with our other online systems, from early next year, parents and caregivers wil be able to use the calendar to sign up to events where reservation is required, and volunteers to browse and sign up for shifts online.
This calendar was made possible through support accessed via the Hellman Foundation’s Catchafire portal, which brings together volunteers and nonprofits for one-off projects and expert consultation.
The full calendar is available on this page and users can use the category drop down in the top right to filter for their events of interest. So take a look and start browsing today!
When I first came to Safe & Sound in 2022, I felt overwhelmed. I was caring for my 5-year-old son with special needs and my baby daughter, and I didn’t know where to turn for help. Navigating the school system for my son and finding the right resources for both of my children felt impossible.
Then I found Safe & Sound. I began attending Supportive Family Services, parent workshops, Parent Cafés, and sensory play sessions. Each visit brought a sense of hope I hadn’t felt in a long time. My desire to grow as a parent led me to enroll in the Integrated Family Services (IFS) program, where I received guidance and worked towards my goals.
Safe & Sound became a lifeline for our family. Through therapy for my son, play sessions for both my children, and guidance from the staff, I found hope and the tools to help my children thrive. My son is learning to manage his emotions, make friends, and settle at school. My daughter is flourishing. Safe & Sound feels like a second home for our family.
Building a Brighter Future
Safe & Sound also encouraged me to follow my passion for baking. I’ve started taking small orders for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies, and even baked desserts for Safe & Sound community events. With their support, I’m taking real steps toward building a small business to create a stable future for my family.
Your Gift Makes a Difference
None of this would be possible without donors like you. Your generosity provides therapy, parenting support, and safe spaces for children — helping families like mine turn challenges into opportunities.
This holiday season, I hope you will join me in giving the gift of hope. Your donation ensures that Safe & Sound can continue helping families face life’s toughest moments, grow stronger, and dream bigger. Your support wraps families in care, guidance, and opportunity — giving children the chance to thrive and parents the tools to lead with confidence.
How Your Support Helps Families Like Mine
My journey with Safe & Sound has been one of resilience, growth, and hope. With their support, I’ve learned how to help my children thrive, believe in myself, and take steps toward a brighter future for our family. Thank you for partnering with Safe & Sound — and for giving families like mine the support we need to grow stronger.
Warm Regards,
Janani
Parent and a Client of Safe & Sound