Keeping Kids and Families Safe During the COVID-19 Crisis

About

For many kids, home is not a safe place. School closures and the statewide shelter in place order, combined with health fears, massive layoffs, and economic uncertainty has resulted in increased stress for families and fewer eyes on children. Current data on child abuse are hard to assess, as experts believe there is under-reporting while kids are cut off from schools, friends, and other community connections.

Throughout the Bay Area, many organizations are on the front lines of the effort to keep kids and families safe during this public health and economic crisis. In San Francisco, Safe & Sound, a child advocacy organization, has been coordinating efforts among the city’s 26 family resource centers to support families with emergency services, such as parental support stress lines, crisis counseling, food delivery, and other essential needs.

In the East Bay, the Center for Child Protection (CCP) at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland provides comprehensive medical and mental health services to children and adolescents affected by abuse and/or exposure to violence. The CCP responds to about 700 cases of suspected child abuse a year and continues to provide these essential services during this crisis.

Presenters will share what they are seeing on the ground, what they expect to see in the future, what they are doing to support kids and families during and beyond the COVID-19 crisis, and implications for funders.

Speakers

• Katie Albright, JD, Chief Executive Officer, Safe & Sound
• James E. Crawford-Jakubiak, MD, Medical Director, Center for Child Protection, UCSF Children’s Hospital Oakland
• Shelley Hamilton, LCSW Manager, Center for Child Protection, UCSF Children’s Hospital Oakland

Target Audience
This program is open to everyone.