In response to a critical shortage of foster homes in Los Angeles County, the Center, First 5 LA, the Department of Children and Family Services and The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation launched Foster Together Network (FTN) in 2017. FTN is a collective impact effort to increase the number of quality foster homes and ensure children receive the nurturing care they need. Today, FTN has grown to also include numerous foster family agencies, philanthropic organizations, recruitment and quality-focused nonprofits, community leaders, faith-based partners, and the L.A. County Departments of Mental Health and Probation. It has launched influential pilot programs, worked to improve County data systems, and continues to deepen collaboration across sectors to improve the quality of care for children in foster care.

The Antelope Valley Resource Infusion (AVRI) is a collaborative effort to improve the community safety net and maximize child and family well-being in the Antelope Valley (AV). AVRI is engaging the community in the creation of a shared agenda to develop system improvements and a robust network of supports that will ensure children and families in the AV are not only safe and healthy, but that they can thrive.

Co-convened by the Center and Southern California Grantmakers, the Child and Family Well-Being Funders Collaborative brings together philanthropic organizations that fund child welfare initiatives with public sector partners to learn about matters impacting L.A. County’s child welfare system and promising initiatives; promote networking and relationship building; and identify opportunities for philanthropic impact on joint initiatives that aim to improve outcomes for children and their families.

In 2018, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Center to engage stakeholders in the development of a countywide framework for faith-based engagement in support of vulnerable children, youth, and families. L.A. County Faith-in-Motion is a countywide strategic plan to cultivate and nurture DCFS and faith-based partnerships for maximum impact. A core component of the model is the L.A. County Faith Collaborative, which brings together a broad coalition of public, private, community, and faith-based partners for shared learning, strategic action, and stewardship of the L.A. County Faith-in-Motion framework.

Since 2018, the Center has supported DCFS’s participation in the One Roof Los Angeles (One Roof L.A.) initiative, a County-wide effort to establish collaboration between child welfare and supportive housing in Los Angeles. Through One Roof, DCFS has been able to build stronger collaboration across County departments to provide more comprehensive housing support to families and transition-age youth (TAY) in the child welfare system. With the Center’s continued support, DCFS has recently created a Supportive Housing Division that will work to reduce the number of child welfare-involved families and youth entering homelessness, rapidly support families and TAY who are currently homeless and help them secure housing and streamline homeless prevention services in collaboration with other L.A. County partners.