Childrens Bureau Of Southern Calif

Our mission is to nurture child well-being through prevention, collaboration, and compassion.

All For Kids (AFK), formerly known as Children’s Bureau, has been a cornerstone of child and family well-being in Southern California since 1904. For over a century, AFK has evolved from a pioneering foster care agency into a nationally recognized leader in child maltreatment prevention, early childhood development, behavioral health, and family strengthening. Today, AFK operates more than 40 innovative programs across 14 sites in historically underserved communities throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Our trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and community-centered approach reaches more than 50,000 children and family members annually, focusing primarily on families with children aged 0–5.

Accomplishments in 2023-2024:
1. 90% of parents in the OC Infant & Toddler Home Visiting program reported increased knowledge of parenting and child development. Also, the children’s fine motor skills jumped from 79% at the start of the program to 94% at the end.
2. At our five Family Resource Centers in OC, 74% of parents reported a "safe/self-sufficient" level on the Child Safety & Emotional Wellbeing indicators of the Family Development Matrix (FDM) at the post assessment. On the Protective Factors survey, parents’ resilience levels more than doubled from 30% at the beginning of services to 82% at the end of services. And, the Centers made 13,800 referrals and linkages over 2023-2024, to connect families with resources.
3. Network Anaheim, a place-based program, had high participation levels:
232 people participated in network activities
50% increase in organizational partnerships
29% increase in community membership
29% increase in workshop attendance

Goals for 24/25:
1. 90% of parents in the OC Infant & Toddler Home Visiting program will report knowledge of parenting & child development on the AFK Protective Factors Survey.
2. 80% of parents who visit Family Resource Centers in Orange County will report a “Safe/Self-Sufficient” level on the Access to Services Indicators of the Family Development Matrix at the post assessment.
3. Community wellbeing will improve thanks to Network Anaheim, whose partners collaborate to implement best practices.

Client Need:
In 2023, there were 123,557 reports of child abuse made to the Department of Child and Family Services in Los Angeles County. This is approximately 350 reports per day, in LA County alone. This is an old problem – so why hasn’t our first-world nation solved it? Is there a solution?
Also, children's mental health issues are more prevalent than ever before. In the US, the Center for Disease Control estimates that 1 out of 6 children between the ages of 2-8 have been diagnosed with a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder. Suicide is now the second-leading cause of death for young Americans ages 10 to 14.

And, there are more than 60,000 children in foster care in California, according to the Children’s Law Center of California.

All For Kids offers three areas of support for child and family wellbeing: Primary Prevention programs, Behavioral Health Services, and Foster Care & Adoption Services.
And yet all these services function as “prevention” work, for prevention exists on a continuum. The continuum starts on the far left with Primary Prevention, which are programs that ensure children experience wellbeing, safety, and good health, so that they avoid any harm and trauma in the first place. The continuum continues to Secondary Prevention, which encompasses our Behavioral Health services, to help children and families heal from trauma; and continues on to Tertiary Prevention, which encompasses our Foster Care & Adoption services, to prevent further harm to children by ensuring they’re living in safe homes.

When children experience adversity early on, it can have a devastating effect on the rest of their lives. Children from low-income or at-risk communities often grow up with adverse conditions - their health, education, and family stability are regularly under threat. By strengthening the families and communities where these children live, and providing them with the resources and support they need, we can shield them from future problems and ensure they thrive as adults.

Organizational Need:
Several of our prevention programs are partially funded by government grants and contracts that require private funding to cover the full costs. Other prevention programs are funded solely by private philanthropy. In the upcoming year, we need to raise over $5M in private dollars to meet our funding needs. These vital dollars are needed to support the vulnerable children and families we serve.

We operate out of 14 community sites in Metro Los Angeles, the Antelope Valley, and Orange County, in neighborhoods that have been historically marginalized, with additional services in Kern, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties.
• In Los Angeles County, we have community sites in Pico Union, Long Beach, West Covina, and Valencia, as well in Palmdale and Lancaster in the Antelope Valley
• In Orange County, we have sites in Santa Ana, San Juan Capistrano, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, and Lake Forest

Across the agency, 90.7% of client families live in low-income neighborhoods.

There is a solution to child abuse – and it involves taking proactive measures that support families upstream, before harm occurs to young children. This is called Positive Prevention, and it’s a strategy for reducing child abuse by intervening early and providing vital resources and education to families. With Positive Prevention, we help build stronger families where children never have to come to the attention of the Department of Children and Family Services, and where child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect simply do not occur. We’ve seen this work in the world of medicine, where preventative screenings effectively prevent health issues from becoming serious. Plus, research has proven that it saves money: For every $1 invested in prevention, society saves between $8-$18 in future public spending. However, this is not about economics. Proactive practices ensure that children experience wellbeing, safety, and good health.

Research shows that the most crucial time to focus on prevention is during the first five years of a child’s life, when 90% of a child’s brain’s capacity develops. Children who receive education before kindergarten reap huge academic benefits, as proven by a new gold-standard study from Early Learning Nation, which reveals that “children who had gone to Educare as infants and toddlers had higher academic outcomes by the end of third grade than those who didn’t.” That’s why our Prevention programs focus on families with children ages 0 to 5. Also, the U.S. infant mortality rate just rose for the first time in two decades, which is why we support expecting families, too. While children are born ready to learn, they heavily rely on their parents, adult caretakers, and educators to provide a safe environment and nurturing care (e.g., good health, adequate nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and opportunities for early learning), to continue forming the neural pathways that will support their development (World Health Organization, 2018).

Today, our society has a better understanding of what causes child abuse. It’s not a matter of poor individual choices; child abuse stems from larger social conditions, like poverty, systemic racism, and inequities. We cannot adequately serve children or their families until we address the needs of the community. Strong communities support strong families, which leads to strong and healthy children.

Yours in Hope,

Ron E. Brown, Ph.D.
President & CEO

-- A Prevention-Focused Approach for Hope --

For over a century, All For Kids has served the most vulnerable individuals in our community. The Board of Directors, in collaboration with executive leadership, constantly ask, “What can we do better to help the children, families, and community we serve thrive?” Since child abuse and maltreatment are complex issues with incredible ramifications, this inquiry has fostered an innovative approach to strategic planning and problem-solving. Our organization is unique because we work to prevent maltreatment and abuse before it starts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “the total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, and neglect) is approximately $124 billion.” This figure does not tally the trauma and hardship that could be stopped if we were forward thinking. In October 2021, the Board of Directors adopted a five-year strategic plan that pushes forward primary prevention so that children never need to come to the attention of child welfare in the first place. Our plan focuses on three key areas:

1. We will grow our prevention programs, services, and place-based community initiatives and partnerships
2. We will double private giving to expand prevention strategies
3. We will advocate for public funding and policies that support prevention

As the Chair of the Board of Directors and a committed Partner in Hope, I’m pleased to share that we have made great efforts on all these fronts—and more. This report details how we have been fulfilling our commitment to protecting vulnerable children through prevention, treatment, and advocacy. You will discover how we are planning for hope by building the Palmdale Family Resource Center and are ramping up our Trustee activities and Philanthropy team efforts. You will learn why Trauma Informed Care is at the center of everything we do, and what’s on the horizon for our brand and communications.

You will be happy to learn that we continue to prosper despite trying times. Our agency’s budget surpassed the $60 million threshold this year. This is a testament to the excellent work of our board’s finance committee, committed board of trustees dedicated to fundraising, and an excellent leadership team who work tirelessly together to ensure All For Kids' financial stability.

I have been a part of this great organization for nearly two decades and have seen the tremendous growth, innovation and impact made in shaping child well-being systems. I love watching it transform lives. Children become more resilient, parents become better nurturers, and the community is more resourced. We are sharing our work through the lens of those we serve in this annual report. Be sure to read the transformative client experiences and you will understand what I mean by innovative and transformative. Which is why I want more people to benefit from our services.

Let’s plan for hope with YOU. All For Kids is driven by an extraordinary and diverse group of individuals who are dedicated to and united by the desire to protect vulnerable children. Ever committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, we are seeking like-minded individuals to invest in the mission as donors, directors, trustees, volunteers, and community members. Reach out to us to learn more at buildhope@allforkids.org. If you are already a partner in hope, we thank you for caring about our future by protecting vulnerable children today.

Planning for hope,

Matt Wilson
President, Board of Directors