The Child & Family Center and Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition are working together to help families who have gone through a disaster. 

The Child & Family Center and the Santa Clarita Disaster Coalition (SCDC) have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to fill the gap for mental health services when a disaster strikes in Santa Clarita. 

“Our arrangement is unique,” said Child & Family Center CEO, Nikki Buckstead. “Too often survivors of disasters and tragedies have to wait critical weeks and sometimes months to get the support and services they need.”

The partnership allows both groups to place local survivors in free counseling sessions while waiting for services from other agencies in order to help them, according to officials. 

The MOU allows the Child & Family Center counselors and staff to see local family members impacted by tragedies and disasters who are in need of counseling. 

Both the Child & Family Center and the SCDC are set to share the expense for the counseling and provide up to six individual or group counseling sessions per family member impacted, added officials. 

“We had a previous agreement that worked seamlessly. When the City’s July 4th fireworks show ended in tragedy a decade ago, the SCDC was able to immediately get several families in for counseling sessions at the Child & Family Center after community members witnessed a car plunge right into the crowd at the Westfield Valencia Town Center, crushing a man to death and injuring several others right before their eyes,” said Bradley Grose, chair of the SCDC. 

It is important that those who have been impacted need immediate help and the partnership between the Child and Family Center and SCDC is set to help with that, according to officials. 

The new agreement is set to be utilized when an expected disaster strikes the community. 

“Our organizations have partnered together in the past on a variety of projects,” added Buckstead. “We know this one will be an asset for our valley.”

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