The Service Tree lists all services in "branched" groups, starting with the very general and moving to the very specific. Click on the name of any group name to see the sub-groups available within it. Click on a service code to see its details and the providers who offer that service.
Family Based Services
Programs that work with families involved with the child welfare system using a process that brings together the strengths of families outside the courtroom setting to find solutions for children who have come into foster care or are at risk for placement outside the home due to abuse or neglect. If successful, children can safely remain with or return to a family member or, possibly, their parents, rather than be placed for adoption or have some other permanent goal established for them. Typically a case worker meets with immediate family members to identify the larger family unit to participate in the process, and a neutral coordinator works with the family as they discuss issues and options. Then the family works privately to develop a plan of action. People involved in the process may include parents, grandparents, other kin, children, tribal elders (where relevant) and individuals whom the family considers to be supportive (e.g., neighbors, clergy). In most instances, families participate in family group conferencing on a voluntary basis, though in a few locations, meetings are court-ordered. In some areas, the practice is also being used in juvenile justice and TANF cases.
Family Support Centers/Outreach
Programs that provide a wide variety of social services that are designed to support the healthy development of families, improve family interaction skills and help fragile families to resolve their problems at a pre-crisis stage before they become unmanageable. Services may be center-based or provided on an outreach basis to families who are initially reluctant to seek support and generally target the specific needs of a particular community. Included may be self-sufficiency programs which help families break the cycle of poverty by addressing the barriers to self-sufficiency; early child development and school success programs; programs which address the needs of teen parents; programs which target parents at risk for becoming abusive; programs for families with children who have special developmental needs and programs that focus on the maternal and child health care needs of first-time, expectant women whose babies are at high risk for low birth weight and infant mortality.