Family & Children Services - Silicon Valley

On April 26, the Circle of Support Breakfast Committee presented the 9th Annual Circle of Support Breakfast benefiting the work of Family & Children Services. Close to 300 guests attended to honor Valle Monte League and hear from author, playwright, and comedian Brian Copeland.

We are honored by the dedicated work of our committee, the generous event underwriters and donors, and the attendance of so many friends and supporters. This year's event raised more than $100,000, which will allow Family & Children Services to provide counseling services to children, teens, and adults during times of stress and trauma.

We are pleased to share a few photos from the event.

Jim Ochsner, Chair of the Board of Directors of Family & Children Services; Pooneh Fouladi, Chair of the 2012 Circle of Support Breakfast Committee; Brian Copeland, event speaker; Noelle Shahin, President of Valle Monte League; and Diana Neiman, President & CEO of Family & Children Services.

Members of the 2012 Circle of Support Breakfast Committee.
(left to right) Tammy Truher, Jeanne Heise, Susan Friedman, Dottie Free, Pooneh Fouladi, Sabine Heusler-Schick, and Jean Forstner

Valle Monte League members Sherry Shepardson, Laurie Woodward, and Willy Brown.

Brian Copeland signed books after the event. Book sales were provided by Kepler's Books, our event bookstore partner.

We look forward to the 10th Annual Circle of Support Breakfast in Spring 2013!

Credit for all photos: Rod Golden

Photo credit: Victor 1558

Your voice is needed! The 2012 Santa Clara County Community Needs Assessment needs your input.

What kind of community do you want to live in?

What issues are you concerned about?

Share your thoughts through a confidential online survey!

The survey was developed by United Way Silicon Valley, the Santa Clara County Public Health and Planning Departments, and San Jose State University. The questions address a number of quality-of-life issues such as standard of living, access to health care, neighborhood conditions, transportation, civic engagement, and demographics.

The results of the survey will inform the County’s efforts to create a Health Element for the General Plan, so don't miss out on the opportunity to share your views. All adults in Santa Clara County are encouraged to take the online survey.

Learn more about the planning effort here.

Please help to spread the word by sharing this information - and thank you.

We are thrilled to congratulate the City of Sunnyvale on the re-opening of the Columbia Neighborhood Center.

The city celebrated the grand opening on May 5, as part of the center's annual health fair. Family & Children Services was glad to participate in the well-attended fair, as usual, with a resource table.

We have provided counseling services on-site at the center for several years as part of our School-Based Services, and we are excited to be starting services in the new, dedicated counseling office. The expansion of the center will make possible more services for neighborhood students and families.

It is often said, yet nonetheless true: What a difference a day makes!

On Saturday, April 28, more than 70 volunteers gathered at Family & Children Services' Palo Alto office as part of National Rebuilding Day. Our project was sponsored by Cooley LLP and made possible by Rebuilding Together Peninsula, which organized more than 60 home and nonprofit facility rehabilitation projects for the day.

Shelley and Grace from Cooley LLP welcomed volunteers.

Volunteers began to arrive at 7 a.m. After breakfast, an orientation, including safety training, kicked off the day. Our assignment: to paint all exterior walls and to replace two skylights (which had been leaking in the heavy rains). Hooper Construction had been by several times the week before to do some work on our building's beams.

Then the work began.

If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by and check it out. We are at 375 Cambridge Avenue in Palo Alto.

On April 5, parents and children celebrated their graduation from Family & Children Services' Families and Schools Together (FAST) Program. More than 100 children, parents, grandparents, school faculty and staff, and volunteers gathered to celebrate all the families had accomplished in eight weeks.

FAST intervenes to address issues that are affecting students' success in school, such as stress at home, family trauma, and classroom behavior, and to increase assets that protect against current or future engagement in high-risk behaviors, such as gang involvement or substance use, or dropping out of school. All of the families served are low or very low income.

Our FAST Program uses a nationally-recognized, evidence-based model, certified by FAST National.

This effective program for families is possible thanks to the financial support of the County of Santa Clara, City of San Jose, WD Foundation, Morrison & Foerster Foundation, and individual donors. We are proud to work closely with our school partners and with the City of San Jose's Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force.

You can make a difference in the life of a high-need student by supporting our work.

We are delighted to announce that we are offering a 6-week Advanced American Sign Language (ASL) class this spring. If you have taken prior courses with us or in college, this class is for you!

The class will meet for 6 weeks beginning on Wednesday, April 18. Classes will be from 6pm-7:30pm at our Julian Street office, just a block from The Alameda in San Jose. The fee is $65 per person for the series.

The minimum age to attend is a mature 17 years old. The registration deadline is Friday, April 13.

For full details and to access the registration form, please visit our Deaf & Hard-of-Hearing Program page.

Photo: Vik Cuban

On Friday, March 23, Santa Clara County's Office of Women's Policy released a new report on "The State of Women and Girls in Santa Clara County." Family & Children Services was delighted to be there to help mark this important, data-filled report.

The report presents statistical information on a wide array of indicators and pairs these data points with guidance on trends and service delivery needs. The report reveals a number of areas where the state of local women and girls has improved and also areas where ground is being lost.

These are a few highlights for Santa Clara County:

• The population of women is aging: "By 2050, the population of women over 65 is projected to increase by 145%, while the population of working-age women increases only 30%."
• Elementary school-age girls report greater Developmental Assets (key factors which promote resiliency in young people, such as family support, honesty, positive peer influence, and caring school climate) than young women in high school. 
• The proportion of households that do not meet the self-sufficiency level has risen over the last decade. The proportion of single mothers below self-sufficiency increased from 45% in 2000 to 76% in 2010.
• Thirty-five percent of women are reported having poor mental health at least once in the past 30 days.
• Girls are more likely to be victims of abuse, yet the overall rate of child maltreatment is declining for both boys and girls.
• The demand for domestic violence shelters outstrips supply.
• From 2002-2010, 19% of domestic violence-related homicides were children.

The full report will be available on the Office of Women's Policy website. The Office will be collecting community feedback to inform a Women's Policy Agenda, which will be presented in August.

How informed do you feel about your health coverage options?

The Office of the Patient Advocate for the State of California has released a new report card on health plan quality. Find out:

• Which plans offer the best care for certain conditions,
• What kind of language assistance and non-English services are available,
• How members rate their plans,
• and much more.

You can view specific topics of interest, or download the guide (PDF format).

The Office of the Patient Advocate has additional free resource materials, in several languages, to help with accessing care and understanding health plans. They include a reference sheet specifically on mental health care.

If you do not have health coverage and need mental health care, we offer services on a sliding fee scale based on income. Call our intake coordinator at 650/326-6576 to learn more.

Wishing you a day filled with kindness, generosity, and care.

Image created for Family & Children Services courtesy of La Toya Hardy.

We are delighted to announce that we have expanded our counseling services for low-income children and youth living in northern Santa Clara County.

Our Palo Alto office now offers mental health services for children and youth who have Medi-Cal or Healthy Families healthy coverage and reside in Santa Clara County.

Children and youth may receive counseling to assist with a variety of emotional or mental health needs, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, behavior disorders (e.g., ADHD), social issues (e.g., withdrawal, peer or family conflict), moodiness, anger issues, and classroom behavior. Services are available in English and Spanish.

To access services, families should contact the Santa Clara County Mental Health Department Call Center at 408-885-5673 or 1-800-704-0900 and request to be referred to Family & Children Services’ Palo Alto office. For assistance with the referral process or to request additional information, parents are encouraged to call Family & Children Services’ 408-292-9353.

We are thrilled to have this additional resource for children and families!

Click here to download:

FCSNoCoMentalHealth_Flyer_0112.pdf (266 KB)

(download)

Click here to download:

FCSNoCoMentalHealth_Flyer_0112.pdf (266 KB)