2024 Juneteenth Festivities
This Juneteenth, for the fourth time, our team members proudly participated in the Berkeley Juneteenth Festival, celebrating freedom, history, and the ongoing journey towards equity and justice.
Legislative Update
A Better Way joined dozens of other organizations on March 12 for the California Alliance of Child and Family Services (CACFS) 2024 Advocacy Day in Sacramento. We spent the day meeting with elected officials to advocate for the needs of California children, youth, and families.
With all of the transformations taking place in the arena of child & family services, partnership and dialogue with legislators has never been more important.
Child Abuse Prevention: A Sea Change is Underway
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time when we bring awareness to the importance of creating systems and programs that prioritize child & family wellbeing. In April 2024 there is a lot to reflect on and a lot to celebrate.
Black History Month: Celebrating African American Contributions to Child & Family Welfare
Fredericka Douglass Sprague Perry’s pioneering work has left an indelible mark on child welfare and social services.
4th Annual Food Basket Giveaway
On Saturday, November 18th, staff from A Better Way’s Social Services had their 4th Annual Food Basket Giveaway in Hayward.
Mental Health First Aid
An Interview with Stella Sheldon, Director of Training
Stella, what is Mental Health First Aid?
Great question! Mental Health First Aid is a course that gives people the skills to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it builds mental health literacy, helps the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness. Think CPR/First aid skills, but for mental wellbeing.
Supporting Fathers and Fatherhood
An interview with Michael Nobles, Social Services Program Manager at A Better Way
Michael, why is it important to support fathers?
Fathers are important in children’s lives, so by providing them with the support they need, helping them to learn about their children’s development, the goal is that their children have more stabilized lives, their home life is more stable – even if the father is out of the home. This leads to more success as they become adults.
Another Lap Around the Sun: Reflections at 55
May is a special month to me for other reasons. It’s Mental Health Awareness Month and National Foster Care Month – two issues that matter deeply to me. I’ve now spent well over 50% of my life working to improve services at the intersection of Foster Care and Mental Health Care.
A Mother and Son find Support
“While working as a Family Support Specialist with the Another Road to Safety Program, I’ve had the privilege of helping families navigate their path to success. I want to share a case that is very near to my heart.”
Another Road to Safety
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Too often in our history societies attempts to prevent child maltreatment have led to unnecessary disruption of the only world those children have ever known. And research has shown that the wrong approach to prevention can itself be a cause of child suffering and trauma – often causing more harm than good.
Welcoming our New COO, Sharon Brown
We’re excited to announce that Sharon Brown has joined A Better Way as our new Chief Operating Officer (COO). We recently asked her a few questions about her new role.
Celebrating History and Things to Come
In February and March, A Better Way celebrated Black History Month and then Women’s History Month. And today, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson added an overdue chapter to both of these stories, by becoming the first black woman confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. I hope to live long enough to celebrate the day when a person’s race and sex are unremarkable details of such an event. But today, while racism and sexism are still all-to-prevalent, I will joyously celebrate the fact that a strong, capable African American woman has overcome intensive professional and societal challenges to ascend to the highest court in the land.
Women’s History Month: Honoring our Founder
My mother passed nearly ten years ago. At 53, I still love and miss her with the heart of a child. She was my north star. My mother taught me that the strengths of humanity are found not in the accomplishments of individuals but in the communities they build. She surrounded me with an ecosystem of strong women who worked for the common good. Throughout my life, women like these would be my guides, my mentors, and my heroes.
I met one such woman 16 years ago when I joined the team A Better Way.
Sheila and Andrew's Foster-to-Adoption Story
This is a special love story that goes beyond one couple. Sheila and Andrew worked together as young adults helping homeless teenagers. Later in life they met again and fell in love. Each of them had two children from previous marriages, and they soon had another child together.
But they still felt there was room for more.
Knowing how many Bay Area kids are in foster care, they became Foster Parents through A Better Way and opened their home and their hearts. Over the years they fostered and then adopted 6 children – five of them through A Better Way.
But their love did not stop there…
Supporting Parents in Santa Cruz, CA
An interview with Kimberly Murphy, Director of Social Services Programs, about A Better Way's new Parent Partner Program in Santa Cruz, CA
Can you tell us about A Better Way’s new program in Santa Cruz?
The new program is called the Parent Partner Program, operated in partnership with Santa Cruz County Family & Children's Services. The Program provides eligible child welfare involved parents with time-limited education, peer mentorship, and support with the goal of successfully reunifying, and/or reunifying sooner with their child/children, while decreasing subsequent changes in placement or custody.
Tools for Client Care: Developing Clinical Empathy for Caregivers & Parents
Perhaps, one of the hardest aspects of this work is connecting and empathizing with the parents and caregivers I work with. As with so many of us, connecting with the kids I work with comes second nature to me. Most days it’s easier than breathing. That feeling of connection to children reminds me of my favorite parts of myself. However, really connecting to a caregiver or family member often takes a real conscious effort on my part.
We Need More Therapists In Our Schools!
Providing Mental Health services to school students requires patience, consistency, and a therapist who recognizes they are “a passenger on their journey”. An effective therapist must show up to every session flexible and optimistic -- even when the youth is consistently resistant to talking, when all they want is to use your office as a retreat from the classroom -- the greater goal of supporting student success must always be in mind. A Better Way’s school-based therapists are striving to help youth become successful students, while addressing the impediments to their success.
Infant Massage Offers a Holistic Approach to Family Bonding
“Bonding is not an event; it’s a process. It’s never too late to bond,” says Lyle Truscott, a mental health clinician for the 0-5 program at A Better Way’s San Francisco office. Lyle works with children under the age of 5, providing non-direct play therapy and child parent Psychotherapy (CPP). Additionally, she is a Certified Educator of Infant Massage (CEIM). As a CEIM Lyle is able to offer infant massage training to parents and caregivers to improve attachment and bonding within families. She can also present information about infant massage in her community, participate in research studies, and conduct in-service programs.