Dependency Advocacy Center

First call families:first call for families is an interdisciplinary program run by dac. The goal of first call is to prevent children from being removed by cps and becoming involved in the formal child welfare court system. The program's mission is to advocate for thriving, intact families rooted in strong communities. The program is comprised of three components: - through know your rights presentations, the first call team provides information to families about their rights and responsibilities before, during, and after the removal of a child by cps. - the first call warm line is a toll-free phone number for families to call for support, basic advice, and/or referrals within the community. First call may also provide more individualized (cont. On sch. O)support for families who require more support than our other services provide. This may include services such as peer support, case management, and legal advice before a court case begins.the first call for families team is an interdisciplinary team comprised of an attorney, mentor parents, and a social worker. The attorney is the leader team. They provide legal advice and limited legal assistance, including on navigating a child welfare investigation and related civil legal issues. The mentor parents have had formal involvement with the child welfare system, and successfully reunified with their children. The mentor parents' lived experience allows them to provide hope and a sense of agency to families, and break down barriers that are preventing parents from effectively advocating for themselves and their families. The social worker provides clinical support to clients. Depending on the needs of the parent and/or family, the first call social worker may provide services such as clinical risk assessments, safety planning, case management, support at child and family team meetings, and/or linkage to culturally responsive resources in the community.

Mentor parent program:in concert with the legal services it provides, dac employs peer mentors, a clinical supervisor, and a program director through its mentor parent program. Mentors are parents who have had their children removed because of drug and alcohol abuse, participated in recovery programs, and then successfully reunited with their children prior to having their cases dismissed. The mentors serve as role models to clients currently involved in the child welfare system and help guide and inspire them through the dependency court process. They are instrumental in encouraging clients to promptly and actively enroll in treatment programs in order to have their children returned as soon as possible. Dac's mentor parent program has received (cont. On sch. O)commendations from the santa clara county board of supervisors and the san jose city council. Dac's mentor parents have been featured speakers at both statewide and national conferences. Dac continues to provide training and technical support to other california counties that are beginning to implement mentoring programs in their jurisdictions. The mentors are involved in various committees with santa clara county's dependency court stakeholders serving as the important voice of the parents. Another key role for dac's mentor parents is to train and provide the parent perspective to individuals working with families involved in the child welfare system. The mentors have provided such trainings to county social workers, child advocates, and foster parents.

Corridor program:in 2017, dac formed a collaborative partnership with santa clara county's probation department out of a county wide initiative to strengthen systems of care for children and families impacted by incarceration. Dac and probation are working together to improve self-sufficiency outcomes for pregnant and/or custodial parents of children who have or had criminal justice system involvement to minimize multiple system involvement (both criminal justice and child welfare), support family reunification, and prevent reentry for this at-risk population. Two populations are served by the corridor program: parents with criminal justice histories with open juvenile dependency cases, and parents with criminal justice histories who are at risk of having an open juvenile dependency court case. Dac's service utilizes a specialized multi-disciplinary team comprised of an attorney, social worker, and mentor parent. Services include: legal services to those parents involved in santa clara county's child welfare system; providing support, guidance, and motivation to those parents whose children have been or are currently at risk of being removed from their care; advocating on behalf of clients and encourage clients to empower themselves by taking a proactive role in reunifying with their children; developing a safety plan for parents of children in case of relapse, arrest, or incarceration; linking parents to appropriate community based services and resources.