Programs

Strengthening Adoptive Families Through Education (SAFE)

In partnership with Ventura County Children & Family Services. Available for pre and post adoptive families. In-home family therapy and psychoeducation on topics relevant to adoptive families such as trauma, attachment, grief and loss, therapeutic parenting, adoption-specific challenges, resources, and more.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Support & Education and Training (SET)

In partnership with Ventura County Children & Family Services. For foster and kinship resource caregivers within Ventura County Child Welfare. In-home services consisting of psychoeducation and support on topics such as complex trauma, attachment, therapeutic parenting, development, challenge behaviors, self-care, and so on. Earn training hours!
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Guardian Stabilization Program (GSP)

In partnership with Ventura County Children & Family Services. For pre and post legal guardians with children from the Ventura County Child Welfare System. In-home family therapy and psychoeducation on topics relevant to caregivers raising children with a history of trauma and attachment disruption.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Peer Partner and Educator Program (PPE)

Goal: To provide education and support services to new or existing-Resource Parents and Informal Kinship Caregivers, including understanding the child welfare system and community resources.

Eligibility: Resource Parents-caring for children in the Child Welfare System. Including Informal Kinship Caregivers outside of the Child Welfare System.

Services: Caregivers are assigned to Peer Partner and Educator-to educate/coach caregivers on understanding the child welfare system and accessing community resources for personal and household needs.

Contact: 805-643-1446,  or email us at: ssp@kidsandfamilies.org

Pre-Service Training (PST)

In partnership with Homes with Heart VC, K&FT offers required training to learn about the resource family approval process and benefits of being a Resource Parent. RFA is a family-friendly and child-centered caregiver approval process that combines elements of the current foster parent licensing, relative approval, and approvals for adoption and guardianship processes and replaces those processes. The Quality Parenting Initiative (QPI), in partnership with caregivers, aims to redesign child welfare organizations at the local level to better recruit, support, and retain quality foster caregivers who can effectively parent vulnerable children and youth.
Contact: 805-643-1446

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT)

In Partnership with Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), provides mental health and case management services to youth (0-21) who are or have been involved in Child Welfare. All services are provided by a licensed or associate clinician, using a trauma-informed approach. Sessions are held weekly at minimum and focus on the emotional and behavioral needs of the child while strengthening the bonds of attachment with his/her primary caregiver(s). Parental involvement is strongly encouraged. Our approach and interventions are based on principles from the following: Theraplay®, TBRI®, mindfulness, art therapy, trauma-informed psychoeducation, and family systems. Sessions can occur in the client’s home, school, office, or in an appropriate location in the community.  Telehealth is available when necessary. The youth must have full-scope Medi-Cal and referrals must be sent through VCBH. For information on how to make a referral please see the following contact information.

Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

0-5 Assessment Program/Short Term Service (STS)

A subset of the EPSDT program, tailored to the 0-5 population. Knowing that Early Intervention is vital to healthy development, this program focuses primarily on assessing the socioemotional developmental of the child as well as the parent-child relationship over 3-5 sessions. All services are provided by a licensed or associate clinician. Using formal and informal assessment tools, the clinician determines individualized resources and referrals, as well as the potential need for ongoing mental health services through the EPSDT program. With a trauma-informed approach, clinicians may integrate the following: psychoeducation on development, attachment, therapeutic parenting, importance of play, co-parenting, early intervention strategies, and more. Additionally, services focus on strengthening the family’s formal and informal support and provide linkage to community resources, as needed. The child/client must have full-scope Medi-Cal and referrals must be sent through VCBH via a CFS Social Worker. For more information on how to make a referral please see the following contact information.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

SAFE Reconnection Program

In partnership with Ventura County Children & Family Services. For older adopted youth and adults adopted from Ventura County Dependency Court wanting to search for birth families. Services include a thorough assessment, assistance in gathering and organizing documenting, psychoeducation, and therapeutic support to emotionally prepare for contact.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Therapeutic Family Support Services (TFSS)

In partnership with Children & Family Services (CFS) and Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH). Designed for families in Family Preservation, Family Maintenance or Family Reunification, the program aims to heal past traumas and strengthen the parent-child relationship in order to support a healthy reunification and prevent future children welfare involvement. Program structure includes therapeutic family sessions for the child and the biological parent, parenting support groups, individual sessions with the parent(s) as appropriate, and individual sessions with the child as appropriate. All services are provided by a licensed or associate clinician, using a trauma-informed approach. The structure of the sessions will be based on the need of the family and determined collaboratively between the clinician, social worker, and family during assessment and treatment planning phases. Clinicians may use theoretical orientations/interventions that include but are not limited to: Theraplay®, TBRI®, mindfulness techniques, art therapy, trauma-informed psychoeducation, and family systems model. Sessions can occur in the home, at school, at our clinical center, in an appropriate location in the community, or via Telehealth when necessary. The referred child must have full-scope Medi-Cal. Referrals must be sent through VCBH via a CFS Social Worker. We are not able to accept self-referrals for this program. For more information on the referral process, please see the following contact information.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Parent Advocate Services (PAS)

In this program, Parent Partners. who have had the lived experience of being involved with child welfare and successfully reunifying with their children, have the chance to support parents who are currently in those same circumstances. Parent Partners mentor, support, and advocate for parents as they also empower them to advocate for themselves.  This program is for birth parents involved with CFS who want support in navigating the system; a Parent Partner is someone who knows first-hand how challenging that can be. Parents can self-refer or be referred by a social worker.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Parent Education and Support (PES)

Parent Educators provide in-home support to parents who are involved with CFS. Individualized sessions are held once a week for two hours where Parent Educators help parents develop key life and parenting skills so that they can provide a safe, nurturing environment for their children. Parent Educators also collaborate with the assigned social worker and make referrals to other community services and resources as necessary. This program requires a referral from the Social Worker.
Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

Community Counseling- Click here

CSEC Family Empowerment Program

CSEC: Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In partnership with Ventura County Children & Family Services. For parents/caregivers with a child identified as a CSEC victim or at high risk of being exploited. In-home therapeutic support and psychoeducation on CSEC: grooming, trauma bonding, risk factors and warning signs, short and long-term harm to victims, safety planning, therapeutic parenting strategies to help your child heal, and more. *Social worker referral required*

Contact: 805-643-1446, referrals@kidsandfamilies.org

“There are lots of different ways to be a family. your family is special no matter what kind it is.” – Todd Parr