Champion. Partner. Advocate.

The California Alliance: The collective voice for organizations that serve children, youth and families

For those dedicated to improving the lives of these at-risk populations, the California Alliance stands apart as the champion and leading voice for organizations that advocate for children, youth and families, and for advancing policy and services on their behalf.

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Full Circle Health Network

The California Alliance of Child and Family Services, one of the country's largest child serving advocacy state associations, is thrilled to announce will be launching our newly formed Full Circle Health Network. This one-of-a-kind network aims to deliver expanded services for children and families via contracts with Managed Care Plans (MCPs) for Enhanced Care Management, Community Supports and other community-based behavioral healthcare services and supports.

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Governor Signs Ramos Bill to Close Gap in Youth Psychiatric Services

SACRAMENTO—Gov. Gavin Newsom tonight signed a measure to create, license and regulate psychiatric crisis residential treatment for children and youth was sent to the governor in the early evening today. The measure is authored by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland).

Read the full statement by clicking here.

Children & Behavioral Health Advocates Respond to Veto of AB 552 

Sacramento – Sponsors of AB 552 joined Asm. Sharon Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton) in responding to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of legislation that would address the alarming behavioral health crisis among children and youth by encouraging school districts, county behavioral health agencies, and community-based organizations to partner on providing on-school campus behavioral health services for students.  Read the full statement by clicking here.

Ramos ‘disappointed’ in veto of proposal to aid homeless LGBTQ youth and families

Sacramento—Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-Highland) expressed his regret over the veto, announced today, of AB 2663 which would have established a voluntary pilot Youth Acceptance Project to assist one of the most vulnerable groups of the homeless – LGBTQ+ youth – with needed services. Read the full statement here.

Supporting California’s Children Through a Whole Child Approach A Field Guide for Creating Integrated, School-Based Systems of Care

This guide is a first step by a collaborative of California child-serving experts to further California’s current efforts toward one effective, integrated, comprehensive, school-based child-serving system. The authors sincerely thank California, and its leaders at the state and local levels, for beginning what we see as the way forward to collective ownership, collective solutions, and, most importantly, collective recovery for our children, families, and those who serve them. The last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have done nothing less than lay bare the needs of children and their families and expose the gaps in how various social sector agencies—education, mental health, health, social services, and early development and education—are working together to achieve a whole child system. The state and locally supported bodies of work incorporated herein are evidence of that amazing start.

Read the full guide HERE.

CA Alliance Responds to Texas Gender-Affirming Care Ban

On Tuesday, February 22, 2022, following a non-binding opinion from the Texas Attorney General arguing that children were too young to consent to gender-affirming surgeries, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the state's child welfare agency stating that medical care like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgeries were considered child abuse, as they caused "mental or emotional injury." Due to this letter, the state agency will begin looking at cases of transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care as potential child abuse. 

Read Christine Stoner-Mertz, the CEO of The California Alliance of Child and Family Services, statement HERE.

Meet Our Members

The California Alliance is also a proud member of the following organizations: