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CHS offers services for children and families in nearly every Florida community. We would be honored to serve your family - please see what services we offer in your community by clicking the boxes below.

Broward County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Family Visitation Centers

Our Family Visitation Centers off a warm, friendly environment where moms and dads learn how to practice positive parenting, and family connections begin to form.

View full location details here.

Volusia County, Flagler County, and Putnam County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Family Crisis Coordination

When a child’s behavior and/or mental health struggles result in a Baker Act, the Family Crisis Coordination team provides support and referrals for mental health counseling, medication management, specialized therapies and therapeutic camps to bring stability to the entire family.

Family Services Planning Team

When youth experience severe behavioral or mental health challenges that threaten to interfere with the stability of their family or foster home placement, our Family Services Planning Team links families with services to help keep children stable in their home (or foster home) and out of more intensive residential treatment centers. Our multidisciplinary group of professionals, including case managers and local community providers, works to provide both traditional and non-traditional approaches, such as therapeutic mentorship, behavioral analysis services and other specialized therapies catering to both the mental health and social needs of children and families.

Foster Parent Recruitment & Support

CHS recruits, trains and supports foster parents excited to open their hearts and homes to children who need a safe place to stay during their time in foster care. In addition to providing stability and care to children, foster parents are important members of the team that works to support the entire family as they work toward reunification or another appropriate goal. In addition to orientation and ongoing trainings, CHS provides foster parents with connections to support groups, community activities and other resources that can help them in their journey. We recruit and support traditional foster homes, medical foster homes to care for children who have more severe medical needs, and therapeutic foster homes to care for children who have more severe behavioral or emotional needs.

Healthy Start

Through compassionate, professional, encouraging support, Healthy Start serves pregnant women – many who suffered abuse or neglect as children, struggle with substance dependencies, have a limited support system, and/or struggle financially – and continues to provide parental education and guidance until baby turns 3. In the comfort of families’ own homes, we provide support as moms learn to care for themselves and their developing babies during pregnancy, referrals to childbirth classes, connections to community resources – including counseling and substance abuse treatment, as necessary – support and resources for moms to secure safe sleeping arrangements for baby, developmental screenings and ongoing encouragement, education, and resources so families can create safe, strong foundations.

Independent Living

As teens in foster care approach their 18th birthday – the day they exit foster care – it’s critical they understand how to navigate independence, as few have strong support systems that will continue beyond foster care. CHS helps teens prepare for the next stage of their lives by teaching basic life skills such as budgeting, personal hygiene, how to find reliable transportation and housing, how to pursue educational and employment opportunities, and more.

Mobile Response Team

If a child, teen or young adult under the age of 25 in Putnam County experiences a crisis, our Mobile Response Team responds within an hour to provide a risk assessment and safety plan. Within 72 hours, we provide crisis counseling and referrals to local resources that can help them work through challenges that led to the crisis.

Putnam County Wellness Center

For families in Putnam County, the Putnam County Wellness Center is here. Many children and families in Putnam County have limited opportunities and access when it comes to quality health care, mental health care and support in navigating the web of social service resources in the community.

View full location details here.

Charlotte County, Collier County, Hendry County, Glades County, and Lee County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Healthy Families

Raising a baby is stressful – even more so when you don’t have a strong support system or positive parental role models. Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes as they partner with CHS to help their children realize their full potential. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones – and how to know if their child may be experiencing delays. Healthy Families also coaches overwhelmed parents on how to handle everyday stress, how to make their homes safe for infants and small children, and how to positively engage with their children, including the teaching of age-appropriate discipline. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100% remain free from abuse or neglect, and they also continue to pursue personal and family goals.

View full location details here.

Alachua County, Bradford County, Columbia County, Dixie County, Gilchrist County, Hamilton County, Lafayette County, Levy County, Madison County, Suwanee County, Taylor County, and Union County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Community Partnership School

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Howard W. Bishop Middle School.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

View full location details here.

Baker County, Clay County, Duval County, Nassau County, and St. Johns County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Acute Intervention Team

This on-call team of trauma-informed counselors provides life-saving treatment for kids experiencing a mental health crisis or on the verge of placement disruption. Counselors remain on call from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. to bring care and understanding to families during their toughest challenges – day or night.

Buckner Place Teen Parenting Program

Our Teen Parent Program and Buckner Place in Jacksonville provides safety and guidance to teen moms and their babies as we empower young moms to care for themselves and their children so they can become independent families.

Cannabis Youth Treatment

 Research from the National Institute on Drug Use suggests that 1 in 6 teens who use marijuana develop an addiction. For these teens, our Cannabis Youth Treatment program is here.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Edward H. White Academy of Leadership, The Webster School, South Woods Elementary, Wilkinson Junior High, Orange Park High School and Keystone Jr/Sr High.

Family Crisis Coordination

When a child’s behavior and/or mental health struggles result in a Baker Act, the Family Crisis Coordination team provides support and referrals for mental health counseling, medication management, specialized therapies and therapeutic camps to bring stability to the entire family.

Family Life Education

Through parenting education, family visitations and support to the community, we help strengthen family relationships. Offering services in the home or in the office –wherever it’s most convenient for families – FLE offers individualized in-home or in-office support to provides parenting assessments to identify each family’s specific needs as well as one-on-one parenting education, using curriculum in infant-specific parenting, Active Parenting of Teens, Nurturing Parenting and Circle of Security. We also supervise therapeutic visits between children and their parents in a family-friendly visitation center.

Family Services Planning Team

When youth experience severe behavioral or mental health challenges that threaten to interfere with the stability of their family or foster home placement, our Family Services Planning Team links families with services to help keep children stable in their home (or foster home) and out of more intensive residential treatment centers. Our multidisciplinary group of professionals, including case managers and local community providers, works to provide both traditional and non-traditional approaches, such as therapeutic mentorship, behavioral analysis services and other specialized therapies catering to both the mental health and social needs of children and families.

Family Visitation Center

When children and families involved in the child welfare system are temporarily separated, it’s crucial that they build and maintain positive, healthy relationships for successful reunifications. Our Family Visitation Centers provide a safe, neutral environment for families to build and strengthen these relationships while CHS professionals provide mentoring and positive coaching to help nurture strong family bonds.

Foster Parent Support

CHS recruits, trains and supports foster parents excited to open their hearts and homes to children who need a safe place to stay during their time in foster care. In addition to providing stability and care to children, foster parents are important members of the team that works to support the entire family as they work toward reunification or another appropriate goal. In addition to orientation and ongoing trainings, CHS provides foster parents with connections to support groups, community activities and other resources that can help them in their journey. We recruit and support traditional foster homes, medical foster homes to care for children who have more severe medical needs, and therapeutic foster homes to care for children who have more severe behavioral or emotional needs.

Healthy Families

Raising a baby is stressful – even more so when you don’t have a strong support system or positive parental role models. Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes as they partner with CHS to help their children realize their full potential. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones – and how to know if their child may be experiencing delays. Healthy Families also coaches overwhelmed parents on how to handle everyday stress, how to make their homes safe for infants and small children, and how to positively engage with their children, including the teaching of age-appropriate discipline. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100% remain free from abuse or neglect, and they also continue to pursue personal and family goals.

Healthy Start

Through compassionate, professional, encouraging support, Healthy Start serves pregnant women – many who suffered abuse or neglect as children, struggle with substance dependencies, have a limited support system, and/or struggle financially – and continues to provide parental education and guidance until baby turns 3. In the comfort of families’ own homes, we provide support as moms learn to care for themselves and their developing babies during pregnancy, referrals to childbirth classes, connections to community resources – including counseling and substance abuse treatment, as necessary – support and resources for moms to secure safe sleeping arrangements for baby, developmental screenings and ongoing encouragement, education, and resources so families can create safe, strong foundations.

Targeted Case Management

Families raising children 0-17 who have behavioral or emotional difficulties, a mental health diagnosis, or destructive behaviors receive professional support to navigate local systems and resources that will provide the services and care necessary to bring peace and stability into the home. In partnership with our targeted case managers, families learn to work through tough challenges, reach family goals, build strategies to handle challenging behaviors and situations, and manage stress and frustrations.

Therapeutic Visitation Services

Our trained clinical counselors help parents learn how to care for and nurture their children in a healthy, positive manner. During these visits, we use evidence-based clinical approaches that take into account past traumas and experiences so families can best heal together as they build and strengthen their relationships.

View full location details here.

Polk County, Highlands County, and Hardee County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Adoption

When children in foster care are unable to safely return home, CHS works diligently to find the right family ready to provide the forever home they’ve been waiting for. As children adopted from foster care often have unique needs or situations, we carefully recruit, train and support families who are eager to welcome home a child through adoption, just as we have since 1902.

Children’s Advocacy Center

Children who have experienced abuse or neglect take their first step toward healing in our warm, friendly Children’s Advocacy Center. Our center is a safe place for children to talk about what happened with compassionate, trained counselors and forensic interviewers. Through the Children’s Advocacy Center, we can help protect children from reliving their experience in multiple interviews, as our partnerships and use of technology make it possible for necessary parties, including law enforcement, to use the single interview to help determine appropriate next steps. We also provide counseling, medical services and crisis intervention for kids and families affected by abuse or neglect.

Child Protection Team

When children have experienced abuse or neglect, our Child Protection Team helps them through the difficult journey toward healing. Our team is sensitive to children’s physical and emotional pain and works closely with local officials to ensure children’s safety and to connect them with appropriate services to help them work through their trauma. The Child Protection Team can provide medical diagnosis and evaluation (both onsite at the Children’s Advocacy Center and at local hospitals), child and family psychosocial assessments, psychological evaluations, specialized and forensic interviews, and expert court testimony.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Dependency Case Management

While we protect and nurture children, we work closely with their parents to help them work through the challenges that brought their family into the child welfare system. We connect parents with local resources – including substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, mental health services and more – and empower them to build upon their strengths to complete the steps required to bring their children safely back home.

Targeted Case Management

Families raising children 0-17 who have behavioral or emotional difficulties, a mental health diagnosis, or destructive behaviors receive professional support to navigate local systems and resources that will provide the services and care necessary to bring peace and stability into the home. In partnership with our targeted case managers, families learn to work through tough challenges, reach family goals, build strategies to handle challenging behaviors and situations, and manage stress and frustrations.

Parents as Partners Support Group

The group prepares parents to be reunified with their children that have been in foster care. The program supports parents so their children can remain safe at home after reunification, with a goal of preventing re-entry into the child welfare system. Monthly support meetings feature guest speakers, community providers/ resources and trainings. Throughout the program,, trained clinicians provide the evidence-based curriculum, Circle of Security Parenting,(to parents, foster parents and relatives/non-relatives to support them in providing care that helps children feel safe and secure.

View full location details here.

Miami-Dade County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Adoption

When children in foster care are unable to safely return home, CHS works diligently to find the right family ready to provide the forever home they’ve been waiting for. As children adopted from foster care often have unique needs or situations, we carefully recruit, train and support families who are eager to welcome home a child through adoption, just as we have since 1902.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Arthur & Polly Mays Conservatory of the Arts, Caribbean K-8 Center, Homestead Middle School and Southridge High School.

Dependency Case Management

Children unable to live safely at home find security, guidance and opportunity with CHS’ dependency case management program. Our first priority is their safety and well-being, and we also provide children with opportunities for counseling, tutoring and other educational activities, recreational activities, mentoring and more.

While we protect and nurture children, we work closely with their parents to help them work through the challenges that brought their family into the child welfare system. We connect parents with local resources – including substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, mental health services and more – and empower them to build upon their strengths to complete the steps required to bring their children safely back home.

Healthy Families

Raising a baby is stressful – even more so when you don’t have a strong support system or positive parental role models. Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes as they partner with CHS to help their children realize their full potential. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones – and how to know if their child may be experiencing delays. Healthy Families also coaches overwhelmed parents on how to handle everyday stress, how to make their homes safe for infants and small children, and how to positively engage with their children, including the teaching of age-appropriate discipline. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100% remain free from abuse or neglect, and they also continue to pursue personal and family goals.

Family Preservation and Stabilization

Families in crisis related to domestic violence, homelessness, substance abuse and other difficult situations, as well as those who have already become involved in the foster care system, participate in an intensive 24-week program as they learn to create safe, strong family foundations and healthy relationships. Throughout the program, families receive home visits, developmental screenings for children, and educational opportunities for parents and children.

Trauma Therapy

Through several evidence-based models, CHS provides trauma therapy to help children and families work through emotional and mental health consequences of trauma. Several forms of trauma therapy are available, including: Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitation and Reprocessing) and Trauma Incident Reduction.

View full location details here.

Citrus County, Hernando County, Lake County, Marion County, and Sumter County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Healthy Families

Raising a baby is stressful –even more so when you don’t have a strong support system or positive parental role models. Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes as they partner with CHS to help their children realize their full potential. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones –and how to know if their child may be experiencing delays. Healthy Families also coaches overwhelmed parents on how to handle everyday stress, how to make their homes safe for infants and small children, and how to positively engage with their children, including the teaching of age-appropriate discipline. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100% remain free from abuse or neglect, and they also continue to pursue personal and family goals.

View full location details here.

Orange County, Osceola County, and Seminole County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Eccleston Elementary,  Evans High School, Jones High School and OCPS Academic Center for Excellence.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Dependency Case Management

Children unable to live safely at home find security, guidance and opportunity with CHS’ dependency case management program. Our first priority is their safety and well-being, and we also provide children with opportunities for counseling, tutoring and other educational activities, recreational activities, mentoring and more.

While we protect and nurture children, we work closely with their parents to help them work through the challenges that brought their family into the child welfare system. We connect parents with local resources – including substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, mental health services and more – and empower them to build upon their strengths to complete the steps required to bring their children safely back home.

Early Head Start

Families receive practical guidance to become their child’s first teacher. Partnering with families to lay the foundation for children to enter Pre-K on track and ready to learn, Early Head Start provides one-on-one parenting support in the comfort of families’ homes, offering ongoing developmental and cognitive assessments to help prepare children for school. Families also have access to qualified professionals ready to help with questions about child-rearing, from proper nutrition or behavioral challenges to development and age-appropriate discipline. Additionally, we encourage families to develop supportive relationships with each other through regular CHS-sponsored social gatherings and community activities. Through Early Head Start, families build and strengthen their most important relationship: the one they have with each other.

Family Services Planning Team

Families struggling with their children’s behavior and/or mental health challenges receive  individualized support, connections and resources to help address underlying causes and receive services to work through difficult emotions and situations. Support may include connections to targeted case management, mentoring, medication management, specialized therapy and more.

Targeted Case Management

Families raising children 0-17 who have behavioral or emotional difficulties, a mental health diagnosis, or destructive behaviors receive professional support to navigate local systems and resources that will provide the services and care necessary to bring peace and stability into the home. In partnership with our targeted case managers, families learn to work through tough challenges, reach family goals, build strategies to handle challenging behaviors and situations, and manage stress and frustrations.

Wraparound Services

Children and teens struggling with mental health challenges find support, services and connections to other valuable community-based programs so they can find hope, help and pathways toward brighter futures. Our wraparound specialists and family partners work together and closely with youth and their families to identify the right services, and our team-based approach assures families that their voices are heard and that an entire network of support is available to help meet their needs.

View full location details here.

Palm Beach County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Adoption

When children in foster care are unable to safely return home, CHS works diligently to find the right family ready to provide the forever home they’ve been waiting for. As children adopted from foster care often have unique needs or situations, we carefully recruit, train and support families who are eager to welcome home a child through adoption, just as we have since 1902.

Post-Adoption Support

Families that have adopted children from the foster care system often experience unique challenges and situations that may arise due to histories of trauma, instability and boundary difficulties. As trauma can manifest in challenging behaviors, we provide family therapy, case management services and support groups to help maintain family stability.

Bridges

Families living in Lake Park, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach find support, connections and resources to raise safe, healthy children who are eager to enter school ready to learn. Offered to families with children ages 0-8, Bridges provides a safe, judgment-free environment for parents to set and achieve personal and family goals, and to connect with other families to develop strong community support systems. Through group sessions and one-on-one support, we also guide parents through challenges that accompany colic, tantrums, bullying and more. Additionally, we teach families how to access local resources, from quality childcare and medical services to stable housing and assistance with utilities.

CINS/FINS

Families raising children ages 6-17 who are defiant, truant and/or struggle with behavioral challenges receive tools and practical support, as well as connections to additional resources – including counseling – that can empower them to work through difficult situations. With an underlying goal to prevent entry or re-entry into the juvenile justice system, CHS professionals also coach families through tough topics as an additional layer of support.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare.

Family Visitation Center

When children and families involved in the child welfare system are temporarily separated, it’s crucial that they build and maintain positive, healthy relationships for successful reunifications. Our Family Visitation Centers provide a safe, neutral environment for families to build and strengthen these relationships while CHS professionals provide mentoring and positive coaching to help nurture strong family bonds.

MODEL Mentoring

This program connects kids ages 6-12 who live in a single-parent household with mentors. During their mentoring relationship, positive adult role models help youth build self-esteem, teach the importance of respecting authority and empower them to achieve educational goals.

Project 18 Mentoring

Palm Beach County teens in foster care find positive guidance with an adult mentor in the community who helps them prepare for the next stage in their life. Mentors provide teens with encouragement, guidance and practical advice on everything from building healthy relationships to completing job applications.

SafeHarbor Emergency Shelter

Through our Safe Place emergency shelters, youth ages 10-17 who are in the midst of a crisis find immediate safety, counseling and basic necessities. During their temporary stay with CHS, we also work with their families to access support, therapy and other local resources that can help them address the crises they’ve experienced.

Wyman’s Teen Outreach Program

Through TOP, teens learn to develop healthy behaviors and relationships, begin to understand the importance of positive decision-making, and gain life and leadership skills. During their program involvement, teens’ self-esteem increases as they find a sense of purpose

View full location details here.

Bay County, Calhoun County, Gulf County, Holmes County, Jackson County, and Washington County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare.

Early Steps

Families raising children ages 0-3 who have a developmental delay receive practical support, guidance, and connections to specialized therapies and care so they can empower their children to reach key milestones. We also coach parents to successfully advocate for their children’s needs and to navigate the complex systems that can provide critical services to their family. Our in-home specialists that help families through this journey have been in their shoes … each one was an Early Steps client before joining the team to guide other families through the unique challenges and rewards of raising children with developmental delays.

 

View full location details here.

Escambia County, Okaloosa County, Santa Rosa County, and Walton County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Adoption Support Team

Provides family therapy and case management services for adoptive families, and connects adoptive families with supportive resources and peer groups. Also provides sibling visits to siblings separated through foster care and supervised parent/child visits for children in foster care.

Ashley Offerdahl Counseling Program

Comprehensive counseling services empower children, teens, families and adults to work through and overcome roadblocks that may be holding them back from realizing their full potential. With an emphasis in Trauma Informed Care, CHS counselors are trained in Evidence-Based Practices, providing the best possible care to our community. Counseling is offered in homes, schools, offices and online via telehealth.

CHS FIRST (In-Home Support Services)

Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones – and how to identify potential delays. We also coach overwhelmed parents on home safety, age-appropriate discipline and how to handle everyday stress. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100%remain free from abuse or neglect, and they continue to pursue personal and family goals.

Parenting Education

Using an evidence-based curriculum, parents of infants and toddlers, and/or of children ages 6 to 12 can participate in a 16-week class to learn to build stronger family relationships. Through this program, parents learn positive parenting skills with nurturing behaviors, appropriate role and developmental expectations, and how to promote healthy physical and emotional development.

Post-Adoption Support

Families that have adopted children from the foster care system often experience unique challenges and situations that may arise due to histories of trauma, instability and boundary difficulties. As trauma can manifest in challenging behaviors, we provide family therapy, case management services and support groups to help maintain family stability.

Social Services Navigator Program

Students attending 34 schools in Escambia County – and their families – have access to dedicated social service navigators focused on meeting their unique personal, family and educational needs to help eliminate barriers to academic and life success. Students and families struggling with homelessness, community violence, poverty, mental health challenges, health care access, employment challenges and a host of other concerns receive personal attention and referrals to local resources to provide support and practical assistance so students and their families can pursue opportunities for stability and success.

Street Solutions Team

Through culturally sensitive outreach, CHS provides education, support and resources to runaway and homeless youth, connecting them with services that can help them find safety and stability.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Weis Elementary.

Family Visitation Center

When children and families involved in the child welfare system are temporarily separated, it’s crucial that they build and maintain positive, healthy relationships for successful reunifications. Our Family Visitation Centers provide a safe, neutral environment for families to build and strengthen these relationships while CHS professionals provide mentoring and positive coaching to help nurture strong family bonds.

Healthy Families

Raising a baby is stressful – even more so when you don’t have a strong support system or positive parental role models. Through Healthy Families, parents receive encouragement, practical guidance, tools and resources in the comfort of their own homes as they partner with CHS to help their children realize their full potential. During voluntary weekly sessions, parents learn how to help their children reach key developmental milestones – and how to know if their child may be experiencing delays. Healthy Families also coaches overwhelmed parents on how to handle everyday stress, how to make their homes safe for infants and small children, and how to positively engage with their children, including the teaching of age-appropriate discipline. Among families that complete the program, nearly 100% remain free from abuse or neglect, and they also continue to pursue personal and family goals.

Healthy Start

Through compassionate, professional, encouraging support, Healthy Start serves pregnant women – many who suffered abuse or neglect as children, struggle with substance dependencies, have a limited support system, and/or struggle financially – and continues to provide parental education and guidance until baby turns 3. In the comfort of families’ own homes, we provide support as moms learn to care for themselves and their developing babies during pregnancy, referrals to childbirth classes, connections to community resources – including counseling and substance abuse treatment, as necessary – support and resources for moms to secure safe sleeping arrangements for baby, developmental screenings and ongoing encouragement, education, and resources so families can create safe, strong foundations.

M-Power House Street Solutions Team

Through culturally sensitive outreach, CHS provides education, support and resources to runaway and homeless youth, connecting them with services that can help them find safety and stability.

Teenspace

Our Teenspace program provides group instruction for pregnant and parenting students. Participating youth receive home-visiting services with a focus on literacy and child development.

Wraparound Services

WRAP Services is a team-based approach that focuses on the client’s voice and choice. With the goal of keeping families together to prevent further involvement in the child welfare system, WRAP steps in for that support in many ways. Cases are referred from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) after an abuse report is received regarding the family. This service is available to both children (ages 0-17) and parents and is offered by CHS in Escambia County in partnership with Families First Network. In order for a family to qualify, they must be assessed by DCF as a high or very high-risk family but the children in the home are deemed to be safe.

Youthworks

Our Transitional Living Programs provide safe, stable housing for young adults ages 18-23 who have exited foster care without families and for those who may otherwise be homeless. In addition to housing, we provide life skills training, educational and employment support and guidance, and connections with local resources as residents prepare for successful independence and adulthood.

View full location details here.

Brevard County

Click here to make a referral to any program listed below.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Early Head Start

Families  receive practical guidance to become their child’s first teacher. Partnering with families to lay the foundation for children to enter Pre-K on track and ready to learn, Early Head Start provides one-on-one parenting support in the comfort of families’ homes, offering ongoing developmental and cognitive assessments to help prepare children for school. Families also have access to qualified professionals ready to help with questions about child-rearing, from proper nutrition or behavioral challenges to development and age-appropriate discipline. Additionally, we encourage families to develop supportive relationships with each other through regular CHS-sponsored social gatherings and community activities. Through Early Head Start, families build and strengthen their most important relationship: the one they have with each other.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Endeavour Elementary.

Targeted Case Management

Families raising children 0-17 who have behavioral or emotional difficulties, a mental health diagnosis, or destructive behaviors receive professional support to navigate local systems and resources that will provide the services and care necessary to bring peace and stability into the home. In partnership with our targeted case managers, families learn to work through tough challenges, reach family goals, build strategies to handle challenging behaviors and situations, and manage stress and frustrations.

Family Services Planning Team

Families struggling with their children’s behavior and/or mental health challenges receive  individualized support, connections and resources to help address underlying causes and receive services to work through difficult emotions and situations. Support may include connections to targeted case management, mentoring, medication management, specialized therapy and more.

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Leon County, Franklin County, Gadsden County, Jefferson County, Liberty County, Wakulla County, Madison County, and Taylor County

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Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Sabal Palm Elementary.

Early Steps

We help families with children ages 0-3 who have a developmental delay navigate the challenges and celebrate the milestones so they can help their child reach his or her full potential.

Healthy Start

Through compassionate, professional, encouraging support, Healthy Start serves pregnant women – many who suffered abuse or neglect as children, struggle with substance dependencies, have a limited support system, and/or struggle financially – and continues to provide parental education and guidance until baby turns 3. In the comfort of families’ own homes, we provide support as moms learn to care for themselves and their developing babies during pregnancy, referrals to childbirth classes, connections to community resources – including counseling and substance abuse treatment, as necessary – support and resources for moms to secure safe sleeping arrangements for baby, developmental screenings and ongoing encouragement, education, and resources so families can create safe, strong foundations.

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Desoto County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Pasco County, Pinellas County, and Sarasota County

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Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Manatee Elementary and Mort Elementary.

Counseling

Children, teens, adults and families receive individualized, trauma-informed counseling with therapists who help them learn and practice coping techniques, find and build upon strengths, and work through significant challenges that may include trauma, a history of abuse or neglect, grief, depression, anxiety, family challenges and more.

CHS eliminates access barriers to mental health treatment by providing counseling services in homes, in schools, in offices and online through telehealth. Additionally, children receiving counseling through CHS may also receive telepsychiatry services, if appropriate, which can potentially eliminate a six-month waiting list for psychiatric treatment.

Help Me Grow

Being a parent can be tough — but you aren’t alone! If you have concerns about your child’s educational, developmental or behavioral growth, we’re here to help. We’re here to help ensure all children have the best possible start in life by providing free developmental and behavioral screenings and connecting them to the resources they need to succeed.

Infant Mental Health

Families with children ages 0-5 who have experienced trauma and/or who have difficultly regulating their emotions receive weekly trauma-informed counseling sessions to help wade through tough behaviors, including excessive tantrums, biting and hitting, aggression and more. Throughout the program, caregivers learn to create strong, positive bonds with their babies and toddlers as they learn practical guidance to deal with difficult behaviors.

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Martin County, St. Lucie County, Okeechobee County, and Indian River County

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Adoption

When children in foster care are unable to safely return home, CHS works diligently to find the right family ready to provide the forever home they’ve been waiting for. As children adopted from foster care often have unique needs or situations, we carefully recruit, train and support families who are eager to welcome home a child through adoption, just as we have since 1902.

Child Protection Team

When children have experienced abuse or neglect, our Child Protection Team helps them through the difficult journey toward healing. Our team is sensitive to children’s physical and emotional pain and works closely with local officials to ensure children’s safety and to connect them with appropriate services to help them work through their trauma. The Child Protection Team can provide medical diagnosis and evaluation (both onsite at the Children’s Advocacy Center and at local hospitals), child and family psychosocial assessments, psychological evaluations, specialized and forensic interviews, and expert court testimony.

Community Partnership Schools

Through extended and expanded services right at school, we offer  comprehensive support and services including parent and community engagement, extended after-school activity and access to primary healthcare. This is offered to all students at Dodgertown Elementary.

CINS/FINS

Families raising children ages 6-17 who are defiant, truant and/or struggle with behavioral challenges receive tools and practical support, as well as connections to additional resources – including counseling – that can empower them to work through difficult situations. With an underlying goal to prevent entry or re-entry into the juvenile justice system, CHS professionals also coach families through tough topics as an additional layer of support.

Dependency Case Management

While we protect and nurture children, we work closely with their parents to help them work through the challenges that brought their family into the child welfare system. We connect parents with local resources –including substance abuse counseling, parenting classes, mental health services and more –and empower them to build upon their strengths to complete the steps required to bring their children safely back home.

DJJ Prevention Services

Youth who have been involved with law enforcement (received a civil citation for misdemeanor charges in lieu of going through the judicial system or have been arrested and offered alternative sanctions) are eligible for this 12 or 16-week evidence-based life skills program. This prevention program offers youth an alternative path and provides them with life skills, individual assessments, service plans, and community service to help prevent further involvement with the Department of Juvenile Justice and help them realize their full potential.

Safe Place Shelters

Through our Safe Place emergency shelters, youth ages 10-17 who are in the midst of a crisis find immediate safety, counseling and basic necessities. During their temporary stay with CHS, we also work with their families to access support, therapy and other local resources that can help them address the crises they’ve experienced. Occasionally, our emergency shelters may also serve as a short-term safe haven for children and teens in foster care.

Teen Life Choices

Working with youth along the Treasure Coast to encourage abstinence as the best—and only surefire—way to prevent pregnancy, the program uses a life-like doll programmed to act like a baby to teach teens what it’s like to be a sole provider for an infant. Students in St. Lucie County qualify.

WaveCREST

Through our Safe Place emergency shelters, youth ages 10-17 who are in the midst of a crisis find immediate safety, counseling and basic necessities. During their temporary stay with CHS, we also work with their families to access support, therapy and other local resources that can help them address the crises they’ve experienced. Occasionally, our emergency shelters may also serve as a short-term safe haven for children and teens in foster care.

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