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What is The Children's Council?

The Children’s Council of Los Angeles County—formerly the Los Angeles County Children’s Planning Council—was created by the Board of Supervisors in 1991 to plan and promote the coordination of services for all children in Los Angeles County to effect their protection, healthy growth, and development, as well as to advise the Board of Supervisors of the Council’s findings and recommendations.

Over its 18-year history, the Council has built a countywide infrastructure that has enabled public, private, and community organizations to work together to improve conditions for the county’s children and families. Some specific achievements include:

• Developing a countywide vision for children and families, a set of principles for change, and five outcome areas in which to measure progress—good health, safety and survival, economic well-being, social and emotional well-being, and educational achievement and workforce readiness
  

• Drawing the boundaries for eight Service Planning Areas (SPAs) to integrate planning, coordinate services and resources, and provide a framework for information- and data-gathering activities across county agencies, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropy

• Promoting the establishment of eight geographically based Service Planning Area Councils and a countywide American Indian Children’s Council to serve as intermediary bodies that connect  the county’s communities with decision-makers and those in a position to allocate resources for children and families

• Publishing the first Children’s ScoreCard focusing on Los Angeles County, along with updates every two years

• Publishing the first strategic plan for children and families and a series of first-ever reports on critical policy issues

• Spearheading Los Angeles County’s implementation of the statewide Safely Surrendered Baby law

• Coordinating the community engagement portion of planning for changes to Long-Term Family Self-Sufficiency funding allocations and service delivery

• Launching a successful multiyear Earned Income Tax Credit campaign to increase the number of low-income families who file and claim that credit, and finding a permanent home for that campaign within United Way of Greater Los Angeles

• Releasing a report on the county’s juvenile justice system and making recommendations for its reform that were subsequently adopted by the Board of Supervisors
  

In October 2008, the Council revised its name, mission, and membership to better reflect its role as broker and champion for children, youth, and families across our region’s varied and diverse neighbor­hoods. It has positioned its county, city, school, and community leaders to do what is needed now to improve the quality of life throughout Los Angeles County: design and deliver services and supports that con­sumers want (as opposed to those that various agencies unilaterally decide are nec­essary) and, even more important, partner with communities to enable them to create safe, healthy, nurturing, and—ideally—self-sufficient neighborhoods for their residents.