Children First Innovation Fund 

The Gulf Coast JFCS Children First Innovation Fund is focused on helping children in foster care system find their permanent ‘forever family’ by lessening obstacles.  The Gulf Coast JFCS Children First Innovation Fund, together with our Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco, offers innovative solutions to raise awareness of the critical need for child adoption to potential adoptive parents while helping reduce barriers in the adoption process behind the scenes. 

Child Welfare Case Management

Child Welfare Case Management provides protective supervision for children referred by the Florida Abuse Hotline and Child Protective Investigators.  Community-based services are provided in-home and in alternative placements with relatives, non-relatives and licensed foster care settings to ensure safety, well-being and permanency, including adoption, for an active caseload of over 2,000 children.  This project is part of the statewide privatization of state protective services.

Community Assistance & Life Liaison Program (CALL)

The Community Assistance and Life Liaison program (CALL) is a program led by Gulf Coast JFCS in partnership with St. Petersburg Police Department. A team of clinical staff and community navigators are dispatched to non-violent, non-criminal calls to provide a therapeutic, wrap-around response.  The CALL program responds to intoxication, drug overdose, mental health crisis, suicide intervention, truancy, homeless complaints, and neighborhood disputes.

Diversion & Prevention Programs

Diversion/Prevention Programs provide family intervention and support provides intensive in-home family preservation services and community outreach with the goal of keeping at-risk children “safe at home.”  The program helps the family to identify, and problem solve regarding those issues that lead to abuse and neglect; to learn about, practice, and develop proficiency in strategies to avoid, deal with, or overcome those issues; and to teach and model with the family regarding how to utilize community resources effectively and to their best advantage.  Families at-risk of having their children removed from the home due to abuse/neglect are referred to the program by Child Protection Investigators.

Family Reunification Services

Family Reunification Services designed to complement case management services in Hillsborough County by providing intensive in-home family engagement through case management and therapeutic services to ensure a safe and permanent reunification of the child and family.  Services are designed to respond to individual situations that may include mental health issues of parents and/or their children, substance abuse, and/or significant threats or a recent occurrence of domestic violence in the home.  These events impact the family’s ability to provide a safe environment for the child.

Family Services Initiative

amily Service Initiative (FSI) provides navigation services for families in Pinellas County including access to information, support, and resources, to assist in regaining family stability.

System Navigators work collaboratively with the family to assess, identify, and prioritize a family’s barriers and needs to strengthen family stability. FSI Navigators, in partnership with Eleos Wellness and Support, aim to provide effective system navigation within a 30-day service delivery. 

For families to be eligible, the following eligibility criteria must be established:

1. Pinellas County residency
2. A social security card of at least one household member
3. Proof of current custody of one minor in household.
4. A ‘qualifying event’ – an event or series of events that led to unexpected financial loss
5. ‘Sustainability’ – the client will need to provide proof that they will, within 30 days, have the income to sustain their monthly bills.

Family Skill Builders

Family Skill Builders (FSB) program designed to reduce child abuse, neglect, family conflict, and child behavior problems.  Improvements to family functioning and protective factors are made by providing in-home therapeutic interventions, case management, parenting education, crisis stabilization, and support.  Services are available to families with children ages 0–17 years who reside in Broward County.  All direct services are provided in-home and/or community settings at times that are “family-friendly,” including evenings, weekends, and holidays with 24/7 staff availability in the event of a crisis.   FSB program referral sources include Broward Sheriff’s Office – Child Protective Investigations Section and Broward Schools.

Fathers Acquiring Mentorship & Enrichment

The Fathers Acquiring Mentorship & Enrichment (FAME) Program inspires and empowers fathers to build strong and safe families by building confidence in their role as parents and fathers, fostering economic empowerment, providing the skills necessary to be successful parents, and providing linkage to community services and resources to help them achieve their goals. The program serves Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, and Pasco counties. This program is a partnership with Family First (All Pro Dad and iMom) and the Florida Department of Children and Families. 

Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos

Good Afternoon Friends and Amigos (GAFA) is an after-school program providing tutoring and homework assistance to elementary aged scholars from Kindergarten to 5th grade.  Parents and caregivers of participating students are involved in their development and family activities.  Resources are provided to parents and caregivers to help meet identified needs as well as home visitation. Scholars in Kindergarten through fifth grade may be enrolled at identified elementary schools in Hillsborough County.

Healthy Youth Transitions

Healthy Youth Transitions prepares youth ages 15-22 for living in their community and targets youth who are “aging out” of foster care.  Our program targets adjudicated youth, youth in protective supervision, and adjudicated youth in relative and non-relative caregiver living arrangements with significant behavioral and emotional difficulties who require extensive support and individualized services to transition successfully to adulthood and independence. Through the use of a team approach, program staff advocate, and coach youth in independent living skills. 

Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco

The Heart Gallery of Pinellas and Pasco connects children in foster care with their forever families through adoption. In addition to featuring children, we recruit and support families interested in adoption.

Kinship Support Program

Kinship Support Program is designed to complement case management services by providing direct support to non-licensed caregivers (relatives and non-relatives) of children in the Hillsborough County child welfare system.   Services provided in the caregivers’ homes and local communities.  The program utilizes direct family involvement to develop an individualized support plan to address necessary services such as case management, caregiver benefit assistance, crisis intervention, and peer support.  Support services are designed to strengthen and stabilize kinship placements to maintain children, requiring out-of-home placement, with their “family” versus licensed foster care.

Padres De Crianza (Parents that Raised You)

Padres de Crianza, “the parents that raised you” or Kinship, staff provide culturally and linguistically informed case management, community navigation, parenting education, crisis intervention, and stress management services to meet the unique needs and experiences of Hispanic/Latino families. Families receive referrals for support such as legal assistance, counseling, health/wellness, childcare, financial services, education, transportation, and basic needs. 

Padres De Crianza is funded Funded through the generosity of the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.

Teen Parent Engagement Program

Teen Parent Engagement Program (formerly Woman to Woman) is an evidence-based prevention program for teen parents and expecting parents from Hillsborough and Pinellas County who are at high risk for academic failure and repeat pregnancies. The program provides one-on-one mentoring from trained volunteers, weekend retreats, workshops, parent seminars, and linkage with educational and vocational services. 

Teen Engagement Program is supported through partnerships with the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County and the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County.

Violence Prevention Program

Violence Prevention Program is an evidence-based intervention offered in ten Pinellas County middle schools to decrease disruptive, aggressive, bullying behavior and substance abuse while simultaneously introducing, practicing and role-playing pro-social behaviors that improve academic performance and overall student success.

Young Adult Transitional Program

Young Adult Transitional Program in Broward County provides support and assistance to young adults ages 16-24, who have serious emotional/behavioral issues or substance abuse and/or persistent mental illness, with the goal of successful transition into adulthood.