LA Countywide Community Co-creation Team

Thriving Families, Safer Children is a national movement centering the voice of community and local experts with lived experience to co-create a new way forward with partners across Los Angeles County. Los Angeles is leading the country in implementing a truly community-led approach to innovation that is rooted in an authentic community partnership model supported by participatory research and budgeting ultimately leading to systems change. The  Los Angeles Thriving Families, Safer Children team is comprised of stakeholders from community-based organizations, Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, local philanthropic organizations, the Office of Child Protection, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Los Angeles County Poverty Alleviation Initiative, Los Angeles County Commission on Children and Families, First 5 LA, and lived experience experts. The goal is to build coalitions with community to improve child and family wellbeing for all Angelinos.

Highlights of this movement include:

• Convening visioning sessions to understand community priorities, what’s working, and what needs to change to ensure all children grow up safe in thriving families and strong communities.
• Partnering with six community-based organizations to implement several community-led innovative projects throughout Los Angeles focused on improving child and family wellbeing. The current innovative projects have been developed through a race equity lens with diverse members from the community; and
• Developing a community partnership model demonstrating how authentic collaborations with community can improve outcomes for children and families.
• Implementing participatory budgeting and research approaches; community members receive a budget to implement their innovations and define what success means to them and how they will evaluate their impact.

The following quote summarizes the sentiments expressed by community members and community-based organizations involved in this incredible work: “True partnerships are taking place. Agencies are here with us, in our community, doing what we ask of them – not their agendas. It’s an opportunity to do things differently. We are showing the community they matter and their voices are being heard.”

The following is a list of current community-based organization partners administering projects:

1. SHIELDS for Families
2. SBCC- Strength-Based Community Change
3. Para Los Ninos
4. Castillo Consulting Partners
5. Children’s Bureau of Southern California
6. Chinatown Services Center

Please click on the links for more information.