Children's Cause Orange County

The mission of Children’s Cause Orange County is to prevent childhood toxic stress and ensure timely access to quality treatment for all children in Orange County who’ve experienced trauma. This is achieved by advancing policy reforms, improving systems, and increasing the capacity of the children’s mental health workforce.

Founded to address growing disparities in children’s mental health care, Children’s Cause Orange County (CCOC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing childhood trauma and ensuring timely access to high-quality, trauma-informed services for all children.

CCOC achieves its mission by advancing policy reforms, improving systems of care, and building the capacity of the children’s mental health and early childhood workforce. The organization plays a unique role in Orange County’s nonprofit landscape by bridging the gap between direct services and systems change—working alongside community-based partners, school districts, government agencies, and philanthropic institutions to create sustainable solutions rooted in participatory decision-making.

CCOC leads and supports numerous collaborative initiatives, including the Every Family Home Visiting Collaborative, which brings trauma-informed home visiting to underserved families across Orange County; the Children’s Mental Health Workforce Development Initiative, which addresses provider shortages; the Orange County Disabilities Collective, which empowers parents of children with co-occurring developmental and mental health needs to advocate for inclusive policies; and the Early Childhood Policy Framework Collaborative, which aligns partners around shared goals for early learning and family well-being.

CCOC has become a trusted leader in driving system-level change to improve the mental health, development, and overall well-being of children across Orange County. Through strategic partnerships and cross-sector collaboration, CCOC has successfully advanced policy reforms, elevated community voices, and strengthened service systems to better support children facing trauma, toxic stress, and unmet developmental needs.

CCOC’s impact includes: coordinating the Every Family Home Visiting Collaborative (EFHVC) to deliver trauma-informed, culturally responsive support to families with young children; leading the Children’s Mental Health Workforce Development Initiative, which has informed regional strategies to address workforce shortages and increase diversity in the behavioral health field; and guiding the Orange County Disabilities Collective, where parent advocates are influencing countywide planning efforts for inclusive services.

CCOC’s policy and systems leadership has contributed to concrete outcomes such as: increased funding for early childhood and mental health supports, improved alignment between public agencies and community-based organizations, and the development of collaborative models that are lifting up underserved populations. By improving access, amplifying family voice, and investing in long-term infrastructure, CCOC is building a healthier future for all children in Orange County.

Despite Orange County’s reputation for affluence, thousands of children—particularly those from low-income, immigrant, and historically marginalized communities—face serious barriers to accessing the care and support they need to thrive. Rising rates of childhood anxiety, depression, developmental delays, and exposure to trauma have created an urgent need for early, coordinated, and culturally responsive intervention. Yet, critical services such as home visiting, mental health care, and early childhood supports remain fragmented, underfunded, and out of reach for many families.

At the same time, Orange County is experiencing a severe shortage of trained professionals in children’s mental health and early childhood care, especially those who reflect the racial, linguistic, and cultural diversity of the community. Systemic disinvestment, combined with recent cuts to Medicaid and other mental health funding, have further strained an already fragile safety net—putting the most vulnerable children at even greater risk of falling through the cracks.

Orange County, California