Archived News Release from 2006

For Immediate Release

Redwood City 2020 Receives San Mateo County Funding for Child Welfare Redesign – Differential Response Program

Redwood City, CA - March 16 , 2006 - Over the next three years, Redwood City 2020 will receive over $900,000 from San Mateo County’s Human Services Agency, to implement its Child Welfare Redesign – Differential Response program in Redwood City.

“Differential Response” is a critical element to the state-directed Child Welfare Redesign program, and involves changing the way child welfare agencies respond to child abuse reports. Its key focus is partnering with the community to provide supports and services for non-substantiated cases that child welfare does not otherwise address. Historically families have received few or no services in these non-substantiated cases.

The goal of the program is to provide these families with prevention and early intervention services in order to keep them out of the child welfare system and eliminate the additional reports and re-referrals that are known to most often occur. In essence, this program fills an existing gap in the child welfare safety net.

Redwood City 2020 will coordinate all Differential Response activities in Redwood City as well as connect Differential Response with other community initiatives.

“Redwood City 2020 is enthusiastically taking on a leadership role in city-wide coordination between the Human Services Agency, subcontracted agencies, Fair Oaks Community Center, the Family Centers, our schools, and other community-based service providers,” said Executive Director Tajel Shah. “Our critical work will be to ensure service integration and to foster agency and provider communication – creating a successful county-community partnership will have a great impact on the at-risk children and families in Redwood City.”

Redwood City 2020 will be responsible for working with its primary sub-contractor, Youth and Family Enrichment Services, to hire and oversee four Case Managers who will partner with San Mateo County Human Services Agency Child Welfare Social Workers.

Redwood City 2020 is a unique partnership between the City of Redwood City, the Redwood City School District, the Sequoia Union High School District, San Mateo County, Stanford University/John W. Gardner Center, Wells Fargo Bank, the Sequoia Healthcare District, and Kaiser Permanente. It also receives support from the Peninsula Community Foundation, Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, the United Way of San Mateo County, the Peninsula Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families, and the Children and Families First Commission of San Mateo County. More information about Redwood City 2020 is available by calling 650-423-2207, or by visiting www.redwoodcity.org/2020.

Visit Redwood City’s award-winning website at www.redwoodcity.org for information about the City and its services, the community, recreation programs, education, City government, and local business. Subscribe to Redwood City’s email newsletter by sending an email to e-news@redwoodcity.org.

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Contact:
Tajel Shah, Executive Director
Redwood City 2020
650-423-2217