An unflinching force for change, La Casa is thrilled to announce our newest program is launching this fall in partnership with the City and County of San Francisco's Family and Children's Services, formerly known as Child Protective Services. Funded by the Human Services Agency—and approved by the San Francisco Human Services Commission today—La Casa's charge is to champion resilient, healthy kids and families from inside the child welfare system when indicators of domestic violence and child abuse are discovered.
The intersection of child abuse and domestic violence is far from new: research demonstrates 60% of abusive adult relationships expose children to harm and 30-60% of kids experience family violence directly. Among the families La Casa already serves, mothers self-report that 25% of children experienced abuse and 55% directly witnessed violence against their mother.
The outcomes of Family & Children's Services engagement can be transformative. The system can help a family access needed resources, stabilize and strengthen itself. Conversely, it can result in losing one's parental rights. So, there is a lot at stake for children—their health and safety—and parents, especially survivors of abuse who are protecting and supporting their children amid incredibly difficult conditions—who are asked to demonstrate their capacity to be the safe, nurturing force children need. Resilient Families puts La Casa's experience and expertise to work to ensure that families where domestic violence and child abuse are co-occurring get the tailored, layered, and role-specific support they need.
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