Children’s Services Council Unveils New Strategic Plan

Palm Beach County, like much of the world, has undergone tremendous transformation in the last few years. More children are coping with mental health and behavioral issues, and more families are struggling to put food on the table. For nearly 40 years, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County has strengthened our community with effective services – from helping expectant parents prepare for a healthy baby to offering eligible families scholarships for child care. But post-COVID, we knew we needed to re-evaluate our strategies and services to ensure we were being responsive to Palm Beach County families’ changing needs.

So, we underwent an intensive, six-month strategic planning process, meeting with a cross-section of residents – families, partners, nonprofit providers and CSC staff – to hear what they had to say.

What did they tell us?

• They want more positive, supportive, social outlets for youth ages 6 to 18. 
• They need more behavioral and mental health services for their children.
• Help with basic needs is vital to building healthy families.
• They trust local, grassroots nonprofits that understand their neighborhood’s unique strengths and challenges.
• They want us to continue strengthening our early childhood system of care (programs for families with children prenatal to age 5), which has been the backbone of our work.

The amazing feedback we received led us to refresh our mission, vision, overarching goal and objectives to ensure they reflect what we heard. Today, we are thrilled to unveil Children’s Services Council’s strategic plan – our roadmap for the next five years.

Mission:
Improving the lives of all children and families through dedicated funding, community partnerships, and innovative leadership, to build a stronger Palm Beach County.

Vision:
All children grow up healthy, safe, ready for school, and ready for life.

Goal:
Improve the well-being of all children served by CSC.

10 Strategic Objectives:

Close disparity gaps
Improve outcomes for all children served by CSC in areas such as physical wellness, behavioral and social/emotional health, learning and development, and social connections with family and community.

Enhance youth well-being (6 to 18)
Increase positive, pro-social services and opportunities for youth ages 6-18 to enhance well-being.

Optimize accountability 
Ensure internal and external accountability that drives decision-making and leads to positive outcomes.

Expand community partner collaboration
Seek new opportunities to engage with stakeholders collaboratively.

Increase direct connection to community
Continue to connect with community to identify needs and develop solutions that benefit all children.

Increase funding for grassroots organizations
Increase funding for smaller, grassroots organizations in response to, and aligned with, community-identified needs and solutions.

Improve navigation and access to basic needs and other PBC services
Assist families in accessing vital supports, including basic needs such as food, transportation and housing.

Strengthen CSC’s Early Childhood System of Care (prenatal to 5)
Continue and strengthen CSC’s Early Childhood System of Care so young children are ready for school.

Strengthen provider capacity
Support providers to ensure they have the staff, resources and training/skills needed to effectively deliver community and/or family-driven services.

Improve human resource allocation
Allocate CSC staff and resources equitably and effectively in alignment with the organization’s needs.

With our plan in place we now are diving into next steps, which includes clarifying our strategies to determine how best to achieve our goal. We’ll be sure to keep you informed as we move forward. Thank you, Palm Beach County, for continuing to join us on this journey. We know that when we work together to find solutions and celebrate successes, our whole community benefits.