How we help
FamiliesFirst Network provides child protective services and case management in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties. Our dedicated team works closely with kids and parents, offering support that helps keep families safely together whenever possible. When children must be placed in out-of-home care, we focus on helping families reunify in a safe and stable environment. For young adults transitioning out of foster care, FamiliesFirst Network provides services helping youth build independent, successful lives.
In cases of suspected abuse, it is everyone’s responsibility to make a report.
Supporting families
When you think of child protective services, many people think of out-of-home foster care. At FamiliesFirst Network, this is an important part of our work, but about 1/3 of our cases involve working with families whose children remain in their homes with their biological parents. In cases where we can identify that a parent needs help with something like anger management, financial skills, food, housing, a job or transportation, we create a case plan that helps the family achieve those basic needs required to stay together.
Our foremost goal is to keep children safe in all situations, but we know that families experience poverty, illness, job loss – ingredients for anxiety and stress that can lead to dire circumstances and poor decisions. Sometimes, children are placed in foster care or with a close family member or friend while the parent works through a case plan. Our process involves three main action steps: 1) protect the child 2) assess the situation, and 3) link the parents to the resources they need to be successful parents.
Studies show that removing a child from a biological home is traumatic. We know that unless we tackle the root problem, the cycle of abuse and trauma will repeat. Often, what’s needed is a case plan led by a specialist in child protection to help parents learn how to manage the life stressors that lead to challenging behaviors.
