National Abandoned Infants Assistance Resource Center : Direct Service Programs : Directory : Families and Children Together

Strengthening Connections Conference Archive
This conference highlighted the unique parenting challenges among families affected by substance abuse, HIV and/or incarceration, and the importance of the parent-child relationship in a child’s development. More...

Call for Articles
The Resource Center is soliciting articles for the fall 2008 issue of The Source, which will focus on interventions that improve the physical, educational, and psychosocial well-being of infants and young children from families affected by HIV and/or substance abuse. [PDF]

2008 Teleconference Training Series
The Resource Center will host six trainings beginning in April 2008. The topics include the effects of methamphetamine, mental health services for women living with HIV and their children, and working with Latino families. More...

Assessing and Supporting Parenting in Families Affected by Substance Abuse or HIV (2007)
This guidebook provides practitioners and administrators with guidance in assessing, supporting, and strengthening parenting skills and parent-child relationships. [PDF]

National Abandoned Infants
Assistance Resource Center
University of California, Berkeley
1950 Addison Street, Suite 104 # 7402
Berkeley, CA 94720-7402
Phone: (510) 643-8390
Fax: (510) 643-7019
E-mail: aia@berkeley.edu

Nuestras Familias
311 Civic Center Drive
Santa Ana, CA 92701-4518
Phone: (714) 210-2481
Fax: (714) 210-2779
E-mail: aencinas@lfiservices.org
Website:http://www.lfiservices.org/english/index.php

Project Director
Andrew Encinas

Project Evaluator
Martha Cristo, PhD

Sponsoring Organization
Latino Family Institute

“Nuestras Familias (Our Families)” is operated by Latino Family Institute (LFI) a private, nonprofit full-service Latino adoption agency headquarters in Los Angeles, California. Nuestras Familias primarily serves Latino families with children from 0 to 6 years of age that are impacted by substance abuse or HIV/AIDS.

Nuestras Familias identifies pregnant substance abusing women and engages them in service. The objectives are to work with families in order to prevent abandonment of infants/young children exposed to HIV and or substance abuse; achieve abstinence from drugs/alcohol; improve health and mental health outcomes; decrease stressors; increase knowledge of health promoting practices, treatment protocols and risk reduction for perinatally exposed children; improve health promoting practices, treatment protocols and risk reduction for perinatally exposed children; improve child development and health outcomes; and improve parent/child relationships.

Nuestras Familias’ services include: home-based services, clinical interventions, family support services, substance abuse recovery support, permanency planning, parenting and health education and child focused services.