Crittenton Center RPG8 - FAMS HUB Project - Applicant and Lead Agency. Crittenton Center is the applicant and lead agency and is a child welfare and childcare service provider. The other project partners are: Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (state child welfare and substance abuse), and Sky Ranch Behavioral Services (local behavioral health). Due to a new 2026 Iowa law, Juvenile Court Services (courts) was unable to provide a signed partnership agreement. Target Population. The target population is families with children ages 0 – 18, focusing on youth who have been involved in or at-risk for involvement within the child welfare system. The project proposes to serve 300 families throughout the five-year project. Geographic Service Area. The primary geographic service area encompasses three counties in the western part of Iowa: Plymouth (25,825), Sioux (36,554) and Woodbury (107,257), representing a combined population of 169,636 residents. Needs. The proposed project addresses the following primary needs for this region: (1) Enhance the current service delivery structure for providing family-driven services to create a more seamless, trauma-informed continuum of care for prevention, early intervention, and treatment. (2) Assess & adopt a menu of evidence-based programs, interventions, and supports, designed to meet the individualized needs of families, across a continuum of care, from prevention, early intervention, & treatment. (3) Engage child and family-serving agencies to enhance awareness and knowledge of trauma informed care; evidence-based practices; and family-driven care and to work across systems to address the barriers and challenges in creating continuum of care for prevention, early intervention, and treatment. Evidence-Based Programs: The primary evidence-based interventions (Title IV Prevention Clearinghouse) for the project are: (1) Motivational Interviewing (MI), SafeCare, and Parent-Child Care (P-C Care), as well as Be Strong Families Parent Cafés (CEBC) and Trauma Therapy. Proposed Services/Approach. The purpose of the project is to embed family driven care as a model of practice for providing care, support, and services that meet the needs of children and families where they are, before crisis takes hold. We envision the project will provide clear and accessible pathways for child and family well-being services and supports across three points on a continuum for prevention, early intervention, and treatment. Imagine this continuum as the entrance to a home, where the front lawn represents “prevention services,” the front porch represents “early intervention services,” and the front door leads to “treatment services”. Simply put, our approach is, “front lawn,” “front porch” and “front door”; all at one location. Project Goals: Goal I: Crittenton Center will demonstrate the organizational capacity to lead and champion a high-quality regional partnership, that promotes and aligns with ACF Mission, Values, and Priorities, to effectively deliver and sustain family-driven and evidence-based practices. Goal II: The FAMS HUB project will improve outcomes for youth by providing evidence-based interventions and clear pathways across three points on a continuum: prevention (front lawn), early intervention (front porch), and treatment (front door). Goal III: Crittenton Center will adopt a comprehensive Dissemination Plan to enhance collaborative partnerships within local communities to increase awareness, need, and understanding of the significance for trauma informed care, evidence-based practices, and family-driven care. Project Outcomes are: Well-Being, Permanency, Safety, Parental Recovery, Family Functioning and Stability, and Capacity and Partnerships.
