Stabilizing Families & Parent Education

Program provides an array of child abuse treatment and prevention services, such as relative/kinship caregiver support, educational safety instruction for children, parenting education and support, educational parenting prevention for teens and their parents, forensic interviews and medical examinations for victims of child abuse, and clinical treatment services for children who have been victims of sexual, physical or mental abuse.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Children 0-17 years old who are victims of abuse or at-risk of abuse; and parents/caregivers

Phone: (941) 345-1200

Provider: Manatee Children’s Services, Inc.

Location: 1227 9th Avenue West, Bradenton, FL

Hours: Varies based on client need

Website: www.manateechildrensservices.com

The System Advocate assists the Family Safety Alliance in the oversight of the Community Based Care Provider of child welfare services for Desoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties. The Advocate receives, evaluates, and attempts to resolve concerns and complaints from persons affected by the quality of services being provided to children who are under the protection of the Community Based Care (CBC) provider.

The Advocate communicates with foster parents and relative caregivers and keeps watch over children’s placement changes, licensing, and other concerns, as well as reviews the performance of the CBC provider in its relationships with subcontractors for services.

Further, the Advocate makes recommendations to the Family Safety Alliance in regard to systemic changes that would improve the quality of child welfare services being provided to the children and families involved in the local dependency system.

Eligibility

• Interest or involvement in child welfare issues in Manatee County (also Sarasota and DeSoto counties)

Phone: (941) 861-2594

Provider: Sarasota County Health Department

Location: 2200 Ringling Boulevard, Sarasota, FL 34237

Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-5pm

Website: N/A

Program provides adoption preservation and support services through a multi-agency, integrated service delivery system in conjunction with partnering organizations (Family Network on Disabilities and Family Resources). Adoptive families are screened for the type of services needed and the level of urgency for accessing services.

Types of services available:

• Case management - includes intake and assessment, connection to appropriate services, advocacy, and monitoring of progress.
• Clinical treatment - includes evaluation of family's therapeutic needs, a treatment plan, therapeutic and behavioral interventions to address adoption-related issues; crisis intervention to address immediate needs when necessary.
• Parenting education - includes in-home parenting education and coaching for families with children under age 13; and educational workshops with specialized topics for adoptive families.
• Educational group series - Charting the Course: 8-week Parallel Series model is provided by adoption professionals to an adoptive parent group operated concurrently with a teen's group and/or a children's group. Child care is provided during the series on an as-needed basis.
• Respite - includes in-home respite care for adoptive children to relieve the stress of parenting (maximum of 12 hours per month).
• Education-related advocacy - Based on the needs of the family, may include: one-on-one mentoring and instruction in the IEP/504 plan for parents of an adopted child with special needs (limit 3 hours); intensive 6 session series of mentoring and instruction for parents of an adopted special needs child; or general advocacy for education-related issues

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Adopted child (age birth through age 17) and the adoptive parent(s)

Phone: (941) 756-3007

Provider: Parenting Matters, formerly Family Partnership Center

Location: 602 3rd Street East, Bradenton, FL and other locations within Manatee County

Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-4pm Some services are available on evenings and weekends

Website: www.parentingmattersfl.org

Program provides services to families with children under age 5 whose children have been removed from their homes due to allegations of abuse or neglect.

The specialized team, trained in Early Childhood Court and Infant Mental Health includes a case manager, therapist and an advocate provides intensive wraparound services that promote bonding and attachment. The Early Childhood Court model has been highly effective in reaching faster permanency for the child, improving child well-being and reducing return to care after permanency is achieved.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Ages 0-5 years old
• In the custody of the State of Florida and legal jurisdiction of Manatee County Dependency Court

Phone: (941) 371-8820 

Provider: The Florida Center for Early Childhood

Locations: The Florida Center for Early Childhood, 4620 17th St, Sarasota; Safe Children Coalition, Manatee Ave W., Bradenton; various locations in the community as scheduled

Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm

Website: thefloridacenter.org

Program provides intensive, comprehensive, individualized parenting and mentoring services to reunify children in foster care with their families in less than twelve months.

The program is designed to be an intensive in-home family preservation service that responds to the needs of the family allowing children to leave foster care and return to their parent’s home with an in-home safety plan.

Wraparound services are engaging, family-centered, strength-based and solution-focused which aim to restore families in crisis to a healthy level of functioning.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Parents whose children ages birth through 17 are in the custody of the State of Florida and legal jurisdiction of Manatee County Juvenile Dependency Court.
• Family must meet criteria for Conditions to Return under the child welfare system and agree to participate with the in-home safety plan

Phone: (941) 721-7670

Provider: Safe Children Coalition

Location: Safe Children Coalition, 5729 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton

Manatee Children’s Services, 1227 9th Ave. W, Bradenton

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

Website: sccfl.org

Program provides immediate services to families at risk of maltreatment and prevent removal of the child(ren) from their homes through decreasing risk factors and increasing protective factors. If more in-depth services are determined to be necessary for risk mitigation, diversion program counselors, case manager, and resource specialist will provide on-going support and services to the families.

Eligibility

• Family with children ages birth through 17
• Reside in Manatee County
• Under a child protection investigation due to a recent allegation of child mistreatment

Phone: (941) 721-7670

Provider: Safe Children Coalition

Location: , 8470 Enterprise Circle, Suite 101, Lakewood Ranch; Manatee Children’s Services, 1227 9th Ave. W, Bradenton

Hours: Monday-Friday; 9am-5pm (on call outside of office hours, as needed)

Website: sccfl.org

Program provides a nurturing, structure, protection, and stability to children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. The Emergency Shelter is a licensed 12-bed facility where children are placed either immediately upon removal or when a placement breaks down for various reasons. These are short term placements ranging from 24 hours to a month. The three group homes are licensed to house 6 children each. The children placed in these homes are usually ones who have not been able to adjust or fit into a traditional foster family home.

Services also include: structure, stability, daily meals, transportation to and from school, behavior management system that provides opportunity to earn privilege's, client advocacy tasks, life skills, client plans.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Children 6-17 years old

Phone: (941) 345-1200 Ext 136

Provider: Manatee Children's Services

Location: Our Place Group home (confidential address), Boys Group Home 5731 2nd St W Bradenton, Fl 34207 and Girls' Group Home 4812 23rd St W Bradenton, Fl 34207

Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Website: https://www.manateechildrensservices.com/residential-services/ 

Whole Child Manatee works with families to provide assessment, connection, education, and support through shared community partnerships. Parents can complete a profile online or contact a Whole Child Advisor for an appointment to meet with them to discuss their needs. Whole Child Manatee supports community professional and providers through the Whole Child Manatee Professional Network (WCPN) we over see a group Email Blast sharing relevant information on events, activities for families and professional development workshops, conferences, and systematic changes. We also facilitate a monthly networking meeting, with brief presentations from our community partners and allow time to share and network.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Parent of children ages 0-17 years

Phone: (941) 749-3059

Provider: Step Up Suncoast, Inc. 

Location: 321 15th St W, Bradenton, FL 34205

Hours: Mon-Fri and other days as necessary

Website: stepupsuncoast.org

Program provides home visiting parenting and support services to families that live in Manatee County. To be eligible for the program, families must enroll with Healthy Families Manatee prenatally or before the child is three months of age.

Eligibility

• Manatee County parents and families of children prenatal through age five
• Must be enrolled before child is three months of age

Phone: (941) 827-0188

Provider: Step Up Suncoast, Inc. 

Location: Parent's homes

Hours: Mon-Fri and other days as necessary

Website: stepupsuncoast.org

Certified Parent Educators provide parenting and support services to expectant parents and parents of children birth through age four. Activities build on existing parenting strengths, minimized potentially harmful behavior, and focus on parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and family well-being.

Eligibility

• Manatee County resident
• Expectant parents or parents of children from birth through four years of age

Phone: (941) 827-0188

Provider: Step Up Suncoast, Inc. 

Location: Parent's homes

Hours: Services take place in family's home

Website: stepupsuncoast.org