On September 29, KYCC Clinical Services hosted a Prevention & Aftercare (PNA) and Partnership for Families (PFF) Program Self-Care Event for Caregivers, which was a collaboration between the two programs to provide a space for our clients and other parents in the community. We had 15 caregivers join us, both mothers and grandmothers, and eight clinical staff who helped volunteer for the event.

PFF is a child abuse prevention program designed to address the needs of pregnant women coping with substance abuse, mental illness or domestic violence as well as DCFS-referred families with children five years of age or younger who are at risk of maltreatment in Los Angeles County. PNA Services are available to families with minors with the goal of strengthening families. Research supports the common-sense notion that when protective factors are present and robust in a family, the likelihood of child abuse and neglect diminishes. 

Both PFF and PNA are important prevention programs, as part of our Clinical Services programming, to help support families through various services such as case management, and building child and parent bonds to prevent child abuse from happening in our community.

The goal of the Self-Care Event was to hold space for caregivers to care for themselves through the fun activity of making dried flower bouquets and being led in a reflective exercise by one of our very own clinicians, where they wrote a love letter to themselves. We recognize the importance of self-care for our caregivers who might otherwise not have many spaces for these opportunities. 

“The connections that caregivers get to make at these events are some of the most long-lasting social connections they have with other moms and people going through similar experiences to them,” shared Esther Shin, KYCC Clinical Services API-PFF Program Coordinator.

Thank you to DCFS Partnership for Families for supporting the event.