OUR MISSION
The mission of UCLA TIES (Training, Intervention, Education, and Services) for Families Program is to promote the successful adoption, growth, and development of children from birth to eighteen with special needs, including prenatal substance exposure, who are in foster care, when returning to their biological parents is not in the children's best interest.
A key feature of the UCLA TIES for Families Program is that services are offered as children are transitioned from foster care into adoptive homes, a vulnerable period for families that presents opportunities to promote attachment and prevent problems from escalating. UCLA TIES is a unique collaboration of the UCLA Center for Healthier Children Families and Communities; the UCLA Psychology Department; the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Adoptions Division; the Los Angeles Department of Mental Health through the Early, Periodic, Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) Program; and private foundations.
Goals and Objectives
The goal of UCLA TIES for Families is to reduce the barriers to successful adoption of children with special needs who are in foster care through:
- Education and training to prepare prospective adoptive parents
- Interdisciplinary adoption-sensitive services to children and their adoptive families before, during and after placement
- Advocacy for children and families at the individual, community, and government level
- Education of professionals regarding needs of children with prenatal substance exposure
- Collaboration and consultation with other professionals and agencies
- Applied research to evaluate and improve service