February’s Family Support Awareness Month reminds us that strong families are built through access to support and education.
At Thompson Child & Family Focus, our mission has always been to serve children and families through healing, teaching, worship, and play. We believe most families don’t need to be fixed; they need to be supported. When caregivers have the right tools and resources, children are safer, and families stay together.
We see the power of family support every day. Recently, a sibling group of four entered our care. After witnessing ongoing domestic violence and living in chaos, their behaviors reflected pure survival – tantrums, outbursts, climbing on cars, hoarding food, never knowing when safety or a meal would come next.
Everything changed when they were placed with their great‑aunt. With the help of our case management team, she established routines, ensuring they attended school and therapy, and secured after‑school care and spots for them at a summer camp.
Rather than severing ties, she strengthened their connection to their mother, transporting them to every visit and welcoming their mom at school and church events. Today, they still love their mother deeply, but they also know that living with their aunt gives them the stability they need.
This is what family support looks like when it works.
Thompson serves as a Child Welfare Case Management Agency in Seminole County, supporting families already involved in the child welfare system. Our prevention-first approach recognizes that many children can remain safely within their families or extended family networks when the proper support is provided early. Family support services, including home visiting, parent education, and family preservation, are among the most effective, outcomes-driven tools in child welfare. Last year, 97% of families who participated in Thompson’s services avoided further child protective services involvement.
As our state leaders convene in Tallahassee for the legislative session, we urge them to prioritize prevention and family support programs. These programs can help change the course of Florida’s children and their futures, and continued investment ensures we can continue to provide this support to every family who can benefit.
Throughout our state, Florida’s child and family service providers are working to help families earlier and more effectively. Together with the Partners for Florida’s Children and Families, we advocate for prevention-focused solutions that keep children safe and supported, build stronger families, and foster generational change.
Florida’s children deserve to grow up in strong families and have every opportunity to reach their full potential. As we observe Family Support Awareness Month, let’s commit to investing in programs that provide every family with the support and resources they need to thrive.
Will Jones is President & CEO of Thompson Child & Family Focus, a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening children, families, and communities through a full continuum of services including foster care, residential programs, family preservation, and behavioral health.
