Santa Cruz County officials shift child welfare model to keep families together

In Santa Cruz County, a phone call that once might have set off a child abuse investigation may now lead somewhere else entirely: to a food pantry, a housing counselor or a mental health referral.

County officials say they are rethinking how families in crisis are treated, shifting from a long-standing “mandated reporting” model that often centered on investigation to what they call a “community supporting” approach, which focuses first on prevention and early help.