Message from CEO: New Year Brings About Change

Message from CEO: New Year Brings About Change

Some changes we were anticipating, such as the California’s Continuum of Care Reform. Crittenton Services for Children and Families prepared well for changes that will take place to short-term residential care in the state, and we will continue to adapt as regulations are clarified and our agency partners add their own spin on these statewide requirements.

Among the other issues we have some concerns with, along with others in our field, is that there will be adequate family-based care to meet the needs of our most seriously challenged system-involved youth. As an agency that advocates for children and youth, we will be called on to recruit, train, and support families who are willing to support a successful transition of youth in short-term residential treatment into a stable home environment. And we will do what we can to help on this matter as well.

We have also awaited the transition of wraparound family services programming efforts in the state from a social work model to a more mental health treatment model. As traditional requests for Wraparound Family Services have decreased, Crittenton, has been fortunate to continue to make more accessible the in-home mental health resources we have available to those in the community who need them the most. We have earned a good reputation from both clients and supporters alike on our outpatient mental services model that we are now expanding into more community and school-based settings.

Throughout the agency our priority is to continue to focus on trauma-informed practices that take place from assessment; to early intervention; to treatment and support.

This trauma-informed model of care will also include recognition of vicarious trauma experienced by caregivers, and we also plan to develop tools that help our clients and our employees stay healthy while caring for others.

Among the changes we were planning…some changes…we were not anticipating. There might be new public policy changes coming down from the federal government that may not necessarily fully support or prioritize initiatives that are designed to help system-involved youth break through continued barriers to success that can include educational, economic, health and well-being.

Regardless of the deep-seated differences in opinion our country is experiencing today, we at Crittenton, remain optimistic and united in a commitment to prioritizing the well-being of ALL children that walk through our doors.

We wholeheartedly believe and will pledge to advocate and support for the rights and dignity of the system-involved children and youth we are honored to serve. Children and youth who have experienced abandonment, abuse, neglect, and exploitation are among the most vulnerable in our community that will need our collective voice in times of great change.

To all of our employees, supporters, donors, volunteers, business and community partners we say to you that Crittenton will focus on what we do best – caring for the most vulnerable among us, when they need our help the most.

Yes, it is true; we are in for a bumpy ride. But we are in it TOGETHER. Thank you for all of your support and belief in our mission! The compassion you’ve shown our young people in past years has been inspiring. And now in our 51^st year of service to the community your support in what we believe in means the world.

In Service,

Joyce Capelle, CEO, Crittenton Services for Children and Families

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