Department of Family and Children’s Services
The Department of Family and Children's Services (DFCS) provides a wide range of services designed to protect children when a threat of abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment presents a danger to a child’s safety. The Department’s focus is to recognize the family’s abilities and to assist the family to build upon its strengths. DFCS social workers assist family members to find the kinds of help they need to safely care for their children in their neighborhood or community, such as peer support groups, counseling and parent education classes.
Vision
The County of Santa Clara Department of Family and Children’s Services envisions a community where every child and family are on a path to reaching their unique potential.
Mission
The mission of the County of Santa Clara Department of Family and Children’s Services is to keep children safe and families strong by partnering with their communities.
Guiding principles
If:
- families are connected to the built-in supports within their community;
- the family’s values and culture guide the services they receive from committed staff well-versed in trauma-informed services;
- the duty for child safety and well-being is shared between the Department and the community, and;
- we continually measure and increase positive results,
then we are more likely to ensure that children are safe and that families are supported within the context of their communities.
Programs and services
Adoption services
Adoption is the process that transfers the legal rights, responsibilities and rewards of being a parent. The rights and responsibilities of birth parents are permanently terminated and assumed by other people who become the child’s legal parent(s).
Resource Family Approval Program
The Resource Family Approval Program (RFA) is the state program which oversees resource families who are approved to provide care and supervision for children 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Community-based prevention
The DFCS Prevention Bureau partners, teaches, and provides support through community-focused programs. The Prevention Bureau acts to prevent entry into foster care and reduce disproportionality in the Child Welfare System.
Transitioned Age Youth (TAY) services
Transitioned Age Youth (TAY) services and programs connect youth ages 16 to 24 to opportunities, experiences, and supports to propel them to self-sufficiency.
Child Protective Services
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is the Federal legislation that provides minimum standards that states must incorporate in their statutory definitions of child abuse and neglect.
Safely Surrendered Baby
The Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows a parent or person with lawful custody to surrender a baby confidentially, without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment.
Children and Youth System of Care (CYSOC)
The Children and Youth System of Care have established a joint Interagency Leadership Team (ILT) committed to help ensure alignment of vision and trust, maximize efforts and share risk, reward and responsibility; and decreasing institutional trauma.