North Ward Center - Youth and Family Outreach Program

Every year, over 2,500 children and their families participate in the North Ward Center's Youth and Family Outreach Program. This service has three primary areas of focus: youth development, economic self-sufficiency of the family and prevention/reduction of family disintegration.

Services provided help to support children and families at-risk of abuse, neglect and/or family disruption. They also help families work towards self sufficiency and are offered both as prevention strategies and, at times, as part of a comprehensive child protection and permanency plan.

The goals and objectives of the program components are as follows:

To prevent disintegration of families and to reduce the incidence of placement of children in out of home care
To provide youth with a positive environment that promotes personal development and maturation
To facilitate economic self-sufficiency of families through employment and training opportunities

The Program Director evaluates the needs of prospective clients and matches them to available program services. In the event that a prospective client does not qualify for the program, information and referral services are provided. The goal of the program is to assess the family situation, resolve issues and develop a service plan that will help the client to achieve an overall better quality of life.