Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect in Santa Barbara County
With offices in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, Casa Pacifica has been providing county-wide services in Santa Barbara County since 2003: in-home, in-school and in the community services to more than 100 children and families each day. We respond to psychiatric emergencies involving children and youth and we partner with County agencies and other community based organizations to provide support and treatment to the highest risk and most vulnerable children and youth in the County.
Our philosophy of service delivery propels us to go to where families are, we do not require them to come to us. This “seeking” mode (rather than “waiting” in the office) highlights the importance we place on children and their families. It values their time and resources and enables our staff to deliver services where needs occur and where interventions are best developed and implemented. It also means we constantly partner with others to best serve youth. We do not “silo” our services – all of our youth are seen as part of the larger context of family, school, and community. Given this philosophy we partner closely with local agencies, both government and private. In particular, we have a history of strong and effective partnerships with Santa Barbara County Alcohol, Drug, and Mental Health Services, the Department of Social Services, Probation, Special Education, schools and local community based organizations such as CALM, Family Services Agency, and Santa Maria Valley Youth & Family Center.
Though the funding streams and program design differ among the programs, all are directed at the same goal - keeping children who are in jeopardy of “out of home” placement or hospitalization in their own homes and communities.
Casa Pacifica’s community services in Santa Barbara County are overseen by Tom Sodergren, Director of Santa Barbara County Community Services. Tom leads a staff of 60 who work collaboratively with local government and private agencies to provide hope and help to children and families in the community. Tom was recently honored by Mental Health Advocacy, Inc. for his outstanding work on the Emily Q Settlement Team helping to resolve a lawsuit in federal court intended to bring TBS to all children in California eligible for and needing the service.
Primary cities include:
Hollister Ranch
Hope Ranch
Isla Vista
Mission Hills
Montecito
Painted Cave
Santa Barbara
Santa Maria
Santa Ynez
Solvang
Summerland
Tom Sodergren, Director, Community Based Services - Santa Barbara
Phone: (805) 319-7501
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
