What's New

April 2026 - Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month
“The County of Santa Cruz is committed to advancing policies and practices that prioritize the well-being of all our county’s children and families. Every family and child deserve supports to help them thrive, feel purposeful and have hope for the future. I encourage our community to join in our efforts this month and become partners in child abuse prevention.” Gloria Carroll, Division Director of the Human Services Department’s Family and Children's Services Division
  • Read last year's 2025 County proclamation about child abuse prevention awareness month, HERE
Mandated Reporter Training Opportunities
COMING SOON! Two County supported child abuse and neglect mandated reporter trainings, held in-person, March 17, 2026 from 1 pm to 4:30 pm, and April 10, 2026, from 9 am to 12:30 pm. These trainings are FREE OF COST, designed for mandated reporters, social workers, mental health professionals, K-12 educators, medical professionals, peer advocates, and judicial members. These two trainings will be conducted in English, with additional Spanish language mandated reporter training to be scheduled separately this spring.
 
COMING SOON: March 17 Training
3/17/2026, 1 pm – 4:30 pm
Location TBD
 
COMING SOON: April 10 Training
4/10/2026, 9 am – 12:30 pm
Location TBD
 
Once locations have been determined, registration links will be made available here.
 
Once registered, please plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early to allow time to find parking and to get to the training room from the parking lot. To request accommodations for special needs, please email emilia.gonzalez@santacruzcountyca.gov. The course meets qualifications for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LMFT’s, LCSW’s, LPCC’s and LEP’s as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, and is supported by Mandated Reporter Training and the California Department of Social Services. Completion certificates will be emailed to each participant after completion of an online evaluation form.
 
System Improvement Plan (SIP) Committee Meetings
Since 2006, Santa Cruz County has maintained a System Improvement Plan (SIP) Steering Committee that is charged with oversight and monitoring of the County’s SIP strategies and action steps. In 2014, the SIP Steering Committee was instrumental in collaboratively working with Santa Cruz County FCS and Juvenile Probation to assess performance on critical child welfare and probation outcomes, which resulted in the 2015‐2020 System Improvement Plan (SIP). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the SIP Steering Committee was able to engage in the 2020-2025 SIP process and the final plan has been developed: 
 
The SIP Steering Committee is chaired by Gloria Carroll, the Family & Children’s Services Director, and Jose Flores, the Juvenile Division Director for the Probation Department. We will be completing the 2025-2030 SIP Plan in the spring of 2025, and the final plan will be posted here once it is publicly available.