Blog

The Collaborative is pleased to share three policy briefs on the impact of ACEs in the health, justice, and education systems including promising practices and recommended actions for change. These briefs were developed by members of the Illinois ACEs Response Collaborative—system leaders in Illinois who are working from an ACEs-informed lens to improve systems to prevent and mitigate trauma across generations. Rooted in social justice, these briefs are a call to action to move upstream,...

In 2015, 5,545 children in San Francisco, CA, were reported to have experienced abuse. Of those, the reports of 753 children were substantiated. The expense to San Francisco for not preventing that abuse will cost $400,533 per child over his or her lifetime. That adds up to $301.6 million for just that one year, according to “ The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of San Francisco.” And, because child abuse is profoundly underreported, the costs are likely to be as much as $5.6 billion/year,...

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is soliciting proposals for the facilitation of California’s three (3) Citizen Review Panels to evaluate the Child Welfare System (CWS), prevention of child abuse and neglect, and critical incidents at the state and local level. CRPs are federally mandated and are designed to promote government accountability, as well as encourage engagement with communities and stakeholders in the work of CDSS. The RFP does not require consideration of...

San Francisco Police Commission President Suzy Loftus resigned Tuesday, leaving the oversight board without a powerful voice amid a sustained push for reforms in the police force. Loftus is joining the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department as assistant chief legal counsel for the law and policy team, and Sheriff Vicki Hennessy determined the role could create conflicts of interest with the duties of a police commissioner. Wednesday will be Loftus’ final meeting after almost five years on the...

In California, childcare for infants costs as much as tuition in the University of California (UC) system, according to new data from the Lucile Packard Foundation of Children’s Health. In 2014, parents of infants in California spent an average of more than $13,300 on childcare. That year, UC tuition and fees were just over $13,200. Achievement gaps start early. According to a report this year from the Economic Policy Institute , children from more affluent backgrounds tend to perform better...

Marin County residents enjoy longer lives on average than residents of any other county in California, and Trinity County residents tend to die younger than anywhere else, according to data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Last year, the researchers ranked 57 of California’s 58 counties according to longevity, attributing the varying rates to such factors as residents’ access to health care, the quality of care, levels of...

Solano County is becoming a healthier place to live, learn, work and play thanks to the work of many in our community and a federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These federal funds have planted seeds throughout the county and in more than 35 other communities around the nation. The lessons we are learning and the unique projects we have started are expected to improve our nation’s health for years to come. For Solano County, being part of this type of...

California, home to the largest foster care population in the country, has publicly declared its intention to pursue the use of so-called “predictive analytics” to foresee and presumably prevent child abuse. California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Deputy Director Greg Rose, who oversees the state’s foster care system, says that the state’s new predictive risk modeling project is designed to give social workers better information about past child welfare cases when they first field a...

CA Department of Health Care Services and Department of Public Health welcome Dr. Vincent Felitti, Co-Principal Investigator of the O riginal CDC-Kaiser Adverse Childhood Experiences ( ACEs ) Study, 1995-1997 The DHCS Office of the Medical Director and CDPH would like to invite you to hear Dr. Felitti speak about the seminal ACE Study, one of the largest investigations of childhood abuse and neglect and later-life health and well-being. The ACE Study now includes more than 80 publications...

First, it was the complex issue of homelessness; the need for outreach and housing to move people off the streets. Now, the Focus on Prevention in Stanislaus County will work on strengthening families, with an emphasis on families of people in the criminal justice system. In a 10-year effort, Focus on Prevention is working with 10 different sectors to address major social problems and improve the quality of life in Stanislaus County. Leaders believe efforts to address family dysfunction can...

A draft report from California's Department of Housing and Community Development found home ownership rates in the state are at their lowest since the 1940s. The report, California's Housing Future: Challenges and Opportunities, also found that the state has more than its share of the country's homeless population — 22 percent of the country's homeless live in the state while the state makes up only 12 percent of the country's population. To download the report and hear a report of the...

I will take my oath of office today and have the honor of representing Silicon Valley in the U.S. House of Representatives. My political campaign succeeded because of the help of hundreds of students. Their ambition and drive will allow them to flourish, but I am concerned about their well-being. These students were volunteering because of a genuine passion for giving back to the community. But a few also told me that the campaign work was a release, or as one student put it “a respite from...