Family Support Service Programs

Philosophy

Family Support Services (FSS) provides families with information, education, home-based intervention and early identification of children at risk for developmental delay. FSS offers a range of services for families with children 0 to 5 years through contracts with community-based providers. FSS utilizes a family-centered, relationship-based model based on FSS tenets.

Postpartum Home Visiting Program

Women who meet enrollment criteria and who give birth at Alameda County Medical Center (Highland) or Alta Bates Summit Medical Center are offered a home visit by a Hospital Outreach Coordinator. Alameda County or City of Berkeley Public Health Nurses visit families to provide a physical assessment of the mother and baby, to support in infant care and feeding, and to offer assistance with child development, safety, early literacy and family planning.

Specialty Provider Consultation Services

Every Child Counts (ECC) has a multidisciplinary Specialty Provider Team (SPT) with expertise in infant and family mental health, maternal depression, child development and lactation support. The team provides brief treatment services to select families and case consultation, training and technical assistance for staff of FSS programs.

Intensive Family Support Program

Brighter Beginnings and Tiburcio Vasquez Health Center provide home-based case management services for pregnant and parenting teens. Confidential services include assistance with health care, childcare, staying in school, career and vocational training, family planning, parent-child interaction and developmental screening.

Special Start is a home visiting program for families with babies who are discharged from one of Alameda County’s Neonatal Intensive Care Nurseries. A home visitor assists families with caring and supporting the complex needs of a medically-fragile baby, coordination with health care providers, and providing resources and referrals for the baby and family.

Another Road to Safety is a partnership between Every Child Counts and Alameda County Social Services Agency and is an intervention program for families at risk for child abuse and/or neglect. Community Based Organizations provide case management and support services to families in the East Oakland (Eastmont), South Hayward (Harder-Tennyson) and West Oakland communities.

Pediatric Strategies

Assuring Better Child Health and Development Program (ABCD)
Pediatric providers are in ideal position to identify children with specialized health, developmental & socio-emotional needs. ECC provides training and technical assistance to support the implementation of standardized developmental screening at pediatric practices.

Reach out and Read is a national initiative that supports pediatric providers to offer a book to every family at each well child visit. This strategy leverages the influence of the medical provider by encouraging families to read to their child daily (beginning in infancy) to significantly promote literacy within the home. ECC currently supports 26 practices within Alameda County to participate in the Reach Out and Read program.

Quarterly Pediatric Trainings
ECC Pediatric Strategy Programs foster the promotion and implementation of developmental screening, parent education and support around child development. Pediatricians often feel limited in providing guidance and resources to families in these areas due to a variety of reasons Quarterly Pediatric Trainings promote and raise awareness of behavioral and mental health issues for families with young children.. ECC offers education, information and practical resources for providers who work with families with young children.

Early Childhood Mental Health Services

Every Child Counts in conjunction with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services-Children’s Services and Children’s Hospital and Research Center, Oakland are committed to developing a countywide Early Childhood Mental Health System that offers preventive mental health services to families with children birth to five. The major focus of this program is to build capacity for Infant Mental Health treatment and provide Early Childhood Mental Health consultation at child care sites.

Training Connections

Training Connections offers educational opportunities to Alameda County family service providers that are culturally appropriate and cross-disciplinary, promote delivery of quality services and support best practices in caring for children ages 0-5 and their families.