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United for Families, Caregiver Support Program, Indian River County Children's Services Advisory Committee PROPOSAL NARRATIVE Please respond to each question in the allotted space for each section . In responding to each section of the proposal narrative, please retain the section-label and question that you are addressing. Do not change the Times New Roman 12 pt. font or other settings . Directions, such as these, may be deleted if space is needed, but again, do NOT delete the Section headers or the numbered questions A. ORGANIZATION CAPABILITY (Entire Section A not to exceed one page. Box will expand as you type. ) Provide the mission statement and vision of your organization. United for Families ' mission is to break the cycle of child abuse through a diverse network of community providers and innovative services . Our commitment to the community is to ensure safety to all children and to provide permanent homes for them. We envision a community where the safety and well-being of children is the concern of every individual ; where "Safe Place" is not just a sign on a door, but a creed in every home. We believe that every child deserves a healthy family, and that every weakened family deserves a chance to heal. UFF will lead the community in the pursuit of these ideals and be a recognized statewide lead, providing a continuum of dynamic and innovative services for children and families. Provide a brief summary of your organization including areas of expertise, accomplishments, and population served. United for Families was created in 2002 in response to Community Based Care, a statewide, bi- artisan initiative that privatized public child welfare services. We are a non-profit agency charged with delivering local services and supports for children and families in Okeechobee and the Treasure Coast. Our network of providers and the services we entrust to them are comprehensive. More than 1 , 800 children and families in St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties have access to services that include: Domestic violence and substance abuse prevention, housing assistance, foster care and adoption, family support services , individual and group counseling and behavior management. Through these services, we hope to strengthen families, send children home faster and reduce the number of children in the child-welfare system to 1 ,300 . We proudly present the following achievements : * In 2005 , 96 percent of children remained safe while in care. The state target for this measurement was 95 percent, placing United for Families third among other Community Based Care organizations throughout Florida. * The average stay for these children was 1 1 months . State target was less than a year. * United for Families oversaw the successful adoption of 76 children, exceeding the agency' s annual goal of 75 . * Programs were established to maintain a level of normalcy among children in care. These programs included a car-seat and crib loaner program and a network of donations closets. We also instituted new programs to keep children from entering the foster-care system and reduce the umber of times children move. These programs include the Caregiver Support Program (formerly the Foster Parent Mentor Program) and Relatives As Parents Program, which is educing the number of disruptions among children in kinship care. 3