First 5 LA Awards $8.6 Million in First-Year Grants in Landmark $50 Million Five-Year Child Abuse Prevention InitiativeJanuary 13, 2006 |
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| (LOS ANGELES)-- First 5 LA today announced the awarding of eight Partnerships for Families (PFF) grants totaling $8.6 million over the next year to begin implementation of a $50 million, five-year landmark initiative to prevent child abuse and neglect in LA County. The grants are intended to fill a gap by specifically addressing the needs of pregnant women, young children and families who are assessed as at high risk by the LA County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), but who do not currently have open cases. The first-year grants, ranging from $298,000 to $1.48 million, were awarded to eight lead agencies in each of LA County's Service Planning Areas (SPAs). Each lead agency has developed a collaborative that will provide prevention services, and supports high-risk pregnant women and families with children five years and younger who are at risk for abuse or neglect. The lead agencies are Children's Bureau in SPA 1, The Help Group in SPA 2, SPIRITT Family Services in SPA 3, Para los Ninos in SPA 4; St. John's Child and Family Development Center in SPA 5, Shields for Families in SPA 6, Bienvenidos Children Center in SPA 7, and National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD)-South Bay in SPA 8. Partnerships for Families takes an innovative approach to one of the most significant issues affecting the well-being of children by providing families with the support services they need to improve their quality of life. First 5 LA, in partnership with DCFS and the eight lead agencies, will create and coordinate a web of regionally-based collaboratives designed to increase resources to communities, test innovative approaches, broker ideas, and strengthen relationships to improve results for children and families. "In LA County and throughout America we have long struggled with finding ways to help at-risk families address issues before children are harmed," said First 5 LA Executive Director Evelyn V. Martinez. "First 5 LA is creating an innovative, community-based model that will reduce the number of young children who are abused or neglected by channeling appropriate resources to their families early on. Our goal is to reduce the risk to children by strengthening the support network for parents and other primary caregivers," she added. First 5 LA is a unique child advocacy organization created by California voters that invests tobacco tax revenues for programs to improve the lives of children prenatal through 5 in Los Angeles County. First 5 LA champions health, education and safety issues benefiting young children and families. |
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