Family Advocacy & Support
Family and Youth Partnership
Family Partners and Youth Advocates offer their own personal experiences and advocacy skills as a valuable layer of support to the youth and families in all Stanford Sierra Youth & Families’ programs. Having similar experiences in their past, these important partners empower young people and their families to lead their own care teams to get their needs met. Family Partners are staff members who have personal experience in the child welfare, mental health or juvenile justice systems as a consumer and/or as a parent/caregiver.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC)
Stanford Sierra Youth & Families employs Youth Advocates (individuals with lived experience) to serve our CSEC (Commercial Sexually Exploited Children) population. The core framework of the program focuses on implementing the Seeking Safety Curriculum, emphasizing a harm reduction approach, and collaborating with agency team members and external partners to support youth ages ten years and older who have, are, or are at risk of exploitation. Our program’s youth advocates use their lived experience as well as trauma-informed practices to address the youth’s individual needs while also building upon their strengths, skills, and developing their connections with natural support systems and community.
Vulnerable Groups:
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Youth in foster care
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Youth identifying with the LGBTQ+ community
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Youth on probation
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Youth who have experienced unstable/inconsistent environments
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Generational trauma around sexual trauma
Referral Process:
Please fill out the CSEC Referral Form, and submit to referral@ssyaf.org or call (916) 344-0199.
Parent Partner Services
Stanford Sierra Youth & Families collaborates with Child Welfare to provide Parent Partner Services for families involved in the Child Welfare System. The program’s goals are to engage parents more fully in the child welfare case planning and services process; provide information to parents to help them navigate the child welfare system and understand their rights and responsibilities; and provide support, modeling, and linkages to assist families in meeting their safety, permanency, and well-being goals. The program helps empower youth and families and ensure they have voice and choice in service delivery.
Parent Support Groups
Check out the list of support groups that we offer each month!
Crisis Intervention for Families
Stanford Sierra Youth & Families empowers parents and caregivers to become advocates for their children and leaders in their communities through its free monthly support group meetings.
Attendance is FREE!
Are you a resource parent, adoptive parent, parent in need, or caregiver? All are welcome to join our support group meetings, even if you do not receive services through our agency. Contact our Family and Youth Partnership team to learn more or sign up at (916) 344-0199.
Support Groups Schedule
We are currently working on updating the schedule for our support groups, please check back for updated information.
Resilient Youth Speak Out (RYSO)
Activities for Youth to Learn Leadership Skills and Boost Resilience
RYSO seeks to increase exposure to positive social, relational, educational, and career routes among youth ages 13-21, as well as teach important leadership skills, build resilience, share experiences, and help each other prepare for adulthood while navigating life’s challenges. This is achieved through innovative activities, compelling speakers, field trips, and a comprehensive youth leadership curriculum.
Kinship Support Services
What is Kinship Care?
Kinship is the care for children by relatives or those like relatives due to the disruption of care with their parents. Kinship care offers the child impacted by the separation an opportunity to remain connected to their community and family.
When children are in need of stability while their parents receive support, living with someone with a connection to the child helps promote the child’s sense of identity, their self-esteem, and supports their connections to their culture and community.
Wonder Mentoring Program
Improving the emotional & social well-being of children impacted by child welfare
Wonder is a mentoring program matching children and youth impacted by foster care, one-to-one, with caring, consistent adults. The mentors are trained to listen, support, and guide each child through fun, age-appropriate experiences in music, the arts, sports, volunteer service, dining out, and nature. The children enrolled in the program are called “Explorers” and the adults who volunteer and serve as mentors are called “Guides.” Together, they participate in a journey of fun and exploration filled with Wonder moments.