Emergency Response workers investigate reports of children maltreatment. While protection of the child is goal, maintaining the family unit is emphasized whenever possible. Emergency Response Services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Emergency Response Units also provide short-term intensive services to stabilize the family so that children can be safe and receive appropriate care. Emphasis is on crisis intervention and avoiding further intervention, such as Juvenile Court action.

Family Maintenance Services provides time-limited services to children in their homes, aimed at preventing or correcting neglect or abuse. A primary goal of Family Maintenance Services is to allow children to remain safely in their own homes, by providing services and supervision for the family.

Families whose children have been declared dependents of the Juvenile Court may be eligible for Family Maintenance Services if the children can safely remain in the home of the parent(s), and if the problems which brought the family before the Juvenile Court can be corrected within the time allowed by law.

Families whose children are at risk of neglect or abuse, and who are willing to accept voluntary services from Child Welfare Services, may also be eligible for Family Maintenance Services if the children can safely remain in the home while services are being provided. Voluntary services can be provided for up to six months, and may be extended under certain circumstances, if the family is willing to work on correcting the problems that brought the family to the attention of Child Welfare Services.

Family Reunification Services provide time-limited services to families whose children cannot remain safely in the home and have been placed in foster care, by the Juvenile Court. The goal of the Family Reunification Services is to help the family overcome safety issues so that children can be reunited with parents or guardians.

This program is designed to provide a permanent family for those children who, because of neglect or abuse, cannot safely remain at home or return to the home of the parent(s). Possible permanent plans include: adoption, guardianship, or long-term foster care. The goal of Permanency Planning is to insure that each child has the most stable home available in which to grow up.

This short-term (maximum of 60 working days), intensive intervention program is aimed at families willing to work on a voluntary basis with Child Welfare Services to correct the problems which caused a referral to Child Welfare Services. Family Preservation families are at risk for Juvenile Court intervention and removal of the children from the home. A team of workers provides services from Child Welfare Services and other providers.

This innovative, multi-agency program is aimed at those at-risk families who would benefit from early intervention and services, yet whose problems have not yet resulted in Child Welfare Services ongoing intervention. Families referred to Child Welfare Services, who do not meet legal criteria for neglect, where the child is age 8 or under, may be referred to ART by the Emergency Response staff. A Public Health Nurse and a Community Health Outreach Worker provide primary services, with assistance from Child Welfare Services, Probation and Mental Health. The goal of ART is to help families correct problems at an early stage, before they escalate and require further intervention.