CareSource invests $50,000 in Families First

Partnership Improves Healthcare Outcomes by Training Clinicians to Support Children in Crisis as well as Adoptive and Foster Families

ATLANTA (January 25, 2023) –  CareSource, a mission-driven Medicaid plan serving more than 500,000 Georgians, today announced a $50,000 donation to Families First, an organization that empowers Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations through programs that help improve individual outcomes and strengthen families. The funding provided by CareSource will help Families First train clinicians to support children in crisis and their families, as well as adoptive and foster families.

“At CareSource we believe supporting the whole health of families is essential to creating a healthier Georgia,” said Kellie Hans-Reid, CareSource director of child, and family health. “We are proud to partner with Families First to champion foster and adoptive families and help children in crisis by addressing their unique needs through specialized care and services.”

The CareSource donation will support training Families First clinicians in Functional Family Therapy (FFT), an intensive, short-term therapeutic model that offers counseling designed to address family emotional distress, inter-family conflict from adverse childhood experiences, and challenges from a family-based perspective all with the goal of improving family relationships. FFT has a strong track record of positive outcomes serving families with at-risk youth, justice-involved families and families where child protective services are involved.

Training and certifying Families First clinicians in FFT increases access to services for children in crisis and provides an internal resource for Families First’s adoption support programs. Families First manages the Georgia Center for Adoption Resources and Support, which works to strengthen Georgia’s adoptive and foster families. Once training is complete, the adoptive and foster families Families First serves will have access to FFT through the organization.

“At Families First we recognize that mental health matters and it is connected to nearly every facet of our lives, particularly our overall well-being and the ability to function at our best,” said Paula Moody, CEO of Families First. “Having trained and experienced counselors is critical to successfully treating our clients suffering from mental health diagnoses. Our partnership with CareSource will allow us to ensure that every Families First Counselor has access to ongoing mental health training, so they stay abreast of current treatment methodologies and best clinical practices.”

ABOUT FAMILIES FIRST

Families First was founded in 1890 as the Leonard Street Orphanage on what is today the Spellman College campus. For more than 130 years, Families First has been providing empowering solutions for Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations. With a mission to build resilient families so all children can thrive, Families First leads a portfolio of programs and services across three impact areas, Parenting & Permanency Services; Navigator Services; and Behavioral Health Services which help improve individual outcomes while strengthening and stabilizing families.