Families First of PB County

Healthy Families palm beach, part of healthy Families Florida, is a nationally accredited family support and coaching program that helps parents provide the safe and stable environments children need for healthy growth and development. The program improves childhood outcomes and increases family self-sufficiency by empowering parents through education and community support. Parents voluntarily participate in services provided in their homes so they can learn how to recognize and respond to their babies' changing developmental needs, use positive discipline techniques, cope with the day-to-day stress of parenting in healthy ways, and set and achieve short-and long-term goals. Specially trained family support specialists help them improve their parenting skills and achieve goals that increase family stability and self-sufficiency. During the year, this program met or exceeded all its goals. In 2024, 100% of the 390 Families served in our healthy Families program improved their parenting skills and increased their family stability and self-sufficiency, and the children were free from abuse and neglect during the program and one-year follow-up. The program served 739 children and 407 adults. Cost savings: up to $105,131 for every child remaining with their family and out of the child welfare system. Healthy Families prevent abuse at an average cost of $2,200 per child annually.

Behavioral health services (bhs) is a nationally accredited program through the council on accreditation (coa) for children and Families. This program provides individualized care, comprehensive, family-driven mental health services, and flexible treatment strategies for at-risk and high-risk children and their Families across palm beach County. This program provides evidence-based trauma informed therapeutic intervention services to high-risk children and youth from age five to twenty-two to include young adults in high schools and alternative school settings. Since 2022 services have been provided to youth in the department of juvenile justice and those at risk of entering the djj system. In 2024, Families First behavioral health services served 254 Families consisting of 498 children and 422 adults. 89% of children/youth maintained stable behavior in their home and schools. Cost savings: $1.00 invested in prevention and early intervention yields $7.00 in savings in health costs, criminal and juvenile justice costs and low productivity.

Child First is a nationally accredited program through the council on accreditation (coa) for children and Families as well as nationally accredited through child First. Child First is an evidence-based, two-generation model that works with very vulnerable young children and Families, providing intensive home-based services. When young children grow up in environments with violence, neglect, mental illness, or substance abuse, the stress can be toxic to their developing brains, but we can intervene to prevent this damage. Scientific research demonstrates that we can make a difference if we: 1. Work to connect Families to the needed community-based services needed to decrease stress, and 2. Build strong, loving parent-child relationships that protect and heal the brain from trauma and stress. Our goal is a young brain focused on learning rather than a brain focused on survival. In 2024, the child First program served 93 Families consisting of 178 children and 150 adults. 96% of the Families completed services successfully. of the Families discharged, 100% of those Families improved in at least one domain. Cost savings: for every $1.00 spent on early intervention, $7.00 is saved in long-term care.

Targeted outreach for pregnant women (topwa) is a community-based program that provides services to underserved women of childbearing age by providing pregnancy and hiv testing. The goal of topwa is to lower the number of babies born with prenatal drug exposure and hiv infection. The program offers supportive, educational and client-centered outreach services to lower the risk for hiv infection and/or substance abuse. In 2024, 206 pregnant, high-risk women received a health assessment which consists of hiv testing, substance abuse treatment if needed, and access to prenatal care. 100% of those asssessed were connected to health care and social services to address their high-risk needs. Since 1999, 100% of babies born to hiv+ mothers have tested negative for hiv. Cost savings: $21,768 per year for every child born free from hiv. Cost savings: $229,800 in medical costs by avoiding one hiv infectiion. The cost saved would reach 338,400 if all hiv-infected individuals presented early and remained in care.kin support project is a national accredited program through the council on accreditation for children and Families. This program guides relative caregivers raising a loved one's children in finding and accessing legal and other needed services. Its goal is to keep children out of the child welfare system. In collaboration with legal aid society of palm beach County, Inc., Families First kin support project educates and empowers grandparents, aunts, uncles and siblings caring for a relative's child by increasing their knowledge and use of community resources and legal services. Program staff counsel on a wide variety of issues and concerns, not the least of which include obtaining economic benefits, educational services, legal services, financial guidance and health insurance. Access to support groups for relative caregivers and therapeutic services are offered. In 2024, 66 Families were served through our kin support program, consisting of 177 children and 98 adults. 100% of Families enrolled and accepted the program services. 100% of the 177 children were able to remain together with relative caregivers and kept out of the welfare system. Cost savings: $105,131 for every child remaining with relative caregiver Families and out of the child welfare system.bridges to success is a national accredited program through the council on accreditation for children and Families. This program is a combination of housing and services intended as a cost-effective way to help Families live more stable, productive lives, and is an active (community services and funding) stream across the united states.bridges to success provides ten units of permanent housing with supportive services to Families residing in palm beach County (belle glade, pahokee, and royal palm beach). The program coordinator helps each family set their own goals to becoming self-sufficient. In 2024, this program served 10 Families, consisting of 13 adults and 23 children. 100% of the Families maintained stable housing. 95% of Families maintain income including wages and benefits as they continue to work towards self-reliance. Cost savings: homeless services: $35,578 per person yearly; permanent supportive housing: $11,732 per person; savings: $23,846 x 36 individuals served = $858,456.infant mental health is the developing capacity of the child from birth to five to experience, regulate, and express emotions; form close and secure interpersonal relationships; explore and master the environment and learn all in the context of family, community, and cultural expectations for young children. By age five, the child's brain has nearly grown to 90% of their adult brain. Decades of rigorous research show that Children's earliest experiences play a critical role in brain development. Persistent "toxic stress" such as extreme poverty, abuse, neglect, or severe maternal depression can have devastating effects on the developing brain, leading to problems in learning, behavioral, physical, and mental health. The brain is strengthened by positive early experiences, especially stable relationships with caring and responsive adults, safe and supportive environments, and appropriate nutrition. Experiences in the First five years have a life-long effect on brain development. In 2024, Families First imh program served 37 Families, consisting of 100 children and 82 adults. 93% of the caregivers who completed services met their treatment plan goals. Cost savings: for every $1.00 spent on early intervention, $7.00 are saved in long term care.