Visitacion Valley Strong Families
A collaborative of Five Non-profit Agencies Serving the Under-resourced Neighborhood
APAFSS is the lead agency of Visitacion Valley Strong Families. In 2013, APA Family Support Services became the master tenant of the City-owned property at 50 Raymond Ave. Its family resource center, Visitacion Valley Strong Families, took up the second floor of the building.
APAFSS collaborated with Cross Cultural Family Center to re-establish childcare and partnered with Asian Pacific American Community Center to broaden the array of services at the facility.
In 2016, APAFSS was entrusted by the City to create an inter-generational program with nonprofit partners at 50 and 66 Raymond. This collaborative was called the Visitacion Valley Family Center.
Since then, some of the original nonprofit partners have moved out and replaced by other nonprofits. The collaborative celebrated its 6th Anniversary of establishment in October 2022, and renamed as the Visitacion Valley Community Hub (VVCH).
Other collaborative partners include Felton Institute and Project Open Hand. VVCH aims to provide much-needed support for the under-resourced and under-represented families and seniors in Visitacion Valley.
Parenting Education
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The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program ® is a parenting and family support system designed to prevent – as well as treat – behavioral and emotional problems in children and teenagers. It aims to prevent problems in the family, school and community before they arise and to create family environments that encourage children to realize their potential.
Triple P draws on social learning, cognitive behavioral and developmental theory as well as research into risk factors associated with the development of social and behavioral problems in children. It aims to equip parents with the skills and confidence they need to be self-sufficient and to be able to manage family issues without ongoing support.
And while it is almost universally successful in improving behavioral problems, more than half of Triple P's 17 parenting strategies focus on developing positive relationships, attitudes and conduct.
Triple P is delivered to parents of children up to 12 years, with Teen Triple P for parents of 12 to 16 year olds. There are also specialist programs – for parents of children with a disability (Stepping Stones), for parents going through separation or divorce (Family Transitions), for parents of children who are overweight (Lifestyle) and for Indigenous parents (Indigenous). Other specialist programs are being trialled or are in development.
Parent Support Group
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We offered the following support groups:
Parent Support Group
Fathers’ Support Group
Women’s Support Group
Parent-Child Interaction (PCI)
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Interactive group sessions for parents and their children. Staff provides activities that include arts & crafts, story-telling and drama, literacy, interactive play, and outdoor games to stimulate the child’s emerging sense of imagination, coordination, and development. The purpose is to promote early literacy and school readiness.
Summer Program
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Reading Group
Staff assists our volunteer teacher for our Summer Reading Group for youth. We focus on reading, writing, and phonics.
STEAM
Discovery Club-school age PCI Groups. Advocates will provide young school-age PCI group sessions for parents and children to work together in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) activities.
Workshops
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Workshops are provided to the community to provide resources and knowledge in the following topics:
-School enrollment
-Child/Youth Development
-Oral Health
-Perinatal and Early Infancy
-Financial Literacy
Family Events & Field Trips
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We have family events for parents and children to learn about community resources while allowing our groups and participants to enjoy, socialize and support each other. We host holiday events and field trips to promote the exploration of nature and to reduce isolation for the family. We usually go to places that are easily accessible by public transportation.
Enhanced Visitation
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EV provides a comfortable, safe, and welcoming space for parent(s) to visit their child(ren) who has been removed from their care and is involved in the child welfare system. The Visitation Supervisor makes sure the parent is interacting appropriately with the child and provides guidance/coaching when needed.
Differential Response
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DR cases are referred by Child Protective Services (CPS). The referral was investigated by CPS and closed. CM roles are to increase the family’s self-sufficiency and stability through linkages to community resources, increase child safety and well-being, and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to all families. The hope is to prevent the family from being an open case in the child welfare system.
Case Management/ Family Advocacy
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APA case manager staff will provide services for families with needs such as family functioning/relationships, parenting, health, mental health, intergenerational communication problems. Our Case managers provide the resources to teach families the skills to improve family functioning.
Food Pantry & Family Support Day
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Food Pantry is on every Tue at Sunnydale SF Hope to provide fresh produce and fresh fruit to support healthy family development.
We also provide other resources as needed or requested from family going through difficulty and challenges.
SafeCare®
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SafeCare® is an evidence based parent training curriculum for parents with children ages 0-5 who are at risk or have been reported for child maltreatment. SafeCare ® is effective in improving parents’ relationship with their children and in maintaining child-safety and well-being. SafeCare® provider will work with families in their home to improve skills in home safety, health, and parent-child/parent-infant interactions.
SafeStart
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SafeStart is a collaborative of four Family Resource Centers. SafeStart’s mission is to reduce the impact and incidence of childhood violence exposure. We provide case management service to families with at least one child aged 6 or under who has directly or indirectly experienced domestic and/or community violence. We also provide parenting class using the ACT curriculum and a parent-child interactive group to learn skills to become a Superhero.
