Name of Partner: California Department of Social Services
What Do They Do?
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is a California state agency for many of the programs defined as part of the social safety net in the United States and is within the auspices of the California Health and Human Services Agency. The mission of the California Department of Social Services is to serve, aid, and protect needy and vulnerable children and adults in ways that strengthen and preserve families, encourage personal responsibility, and foster independence.
How Do They Partner with CCH?
Our Refugee Health Unit was invited by the California Department of Social Services’ Offices of Immigrant Youth and Equity to lead the implementation of a new statewide program – the Afghan Refugee School Impact (ARSI) & Afghan Youth Mentoring (AYM) Program – to leverage a community-centered transformational model to provide a range of direct services and support to newly arrived youth and families from Afghanistan. On June 7th, CCH participated in CDSS’s Refugee Awareness Month virtual event – a statewide discussion where the Office of Immigrant Youth (OIY), Refugee Programs Bureau (RPB), Immigration Services Bureau, and CalWORKs teams from the California Department of Social Services spoke about their programs and projects purpose to serve refugee children and their families. It was an honor for our team to join our partners and showcase our efforts to support Afghan Refugee families across the state.
What Did We Say?
“It has been a pleasure to work with a thoughtful and compassionate team who are dedicated to building the capacity of ethnic-based community organizations to enhance their services and support for Afghan children and families.” – Reba Meigs, CCH Senior Program Officer
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