C.O.P.E.

C.O.P.E. Family Support Center was incorporated in September 2010 and enters its 11th year of delivering family-based prevention programs through comprehensive evidence based curricula.  C.O.P.E. was founded by the acting Executive Director, Cathy Botello, who has worked in the non-profit and county agencies for the past 20 years.  Cathy identified a gap in supportive services for families in crisis and those seeking to gain knowledge and skills which has remained the impetus and vision in building and growing C.O.P.E.'s programs and services for the past decade.  Her vision has created a place where parents of all backgrounds have access to quality parenting education in a supportive and safe learning environment without stigmatization or judgement.  C.O.P.E.'s parenting program gives parents an opportunity to develop skills that support empowerment through strengthening knowledge and confidence in parenting.  The families C.O.P.E. supports are seeking parenting support while dealing with the challenges of adoption, trauma, child neglect, depression, anxiety and anger in their parenting. Thanks to the generous support of Contra Costa County Mental Health Services and First 5 Contra Costa, and their recognition of the critical need for evidenced based parent education programs, C.O.P.E. opened it doors in 2011, and has since served over 1200+ families and formed numerous partnerships with other local organizations to increase Triple P capacity.
 
Since the beginning, C.O.P.E. has been staffed by master's level social workers and mental health professionals who have received training and gained accreditation in the evidence based Triple P Positive Parenting Program curriculum through a grant from Contra Costa County Mental Health Services.  In 2012 C.O.P.E. was awarded a grant to train practitioners in the Triple P Positive Parenting system and increase the agency's capacity to offer the Triple P curriculum throughout Contra Costa County. C.O.P.E. became the lead agency offering training in the Triple P system which has several levels and layers of training.  We train in different levels once a year, increasing the skill set and creating a learning community for Triple P practitioners.
 
As our parenting program flourished, we realized the need for therapeutic services to holistically support healing in the family.  Since half of our Triple P Practitioners were licensed clinicians, we began offering individual and family therapy services.  In 2017, we began working in partnership with and receiving referrals from Children and Family Services and Family Courts who required support services for father's attempting to reunite with their children after years of estrangement, creating our Supporting Father Involvement programs.  Further in 2016 the Grand Jury Report issued a statement that Contra Costa County was the third highest county for truancy's of children in grades kindergarten to eighth grade.  As a result of this alarming report, C.O.P.E. was asked to serve on the Parent and Teen Truancy Courts as a resource for families.  The Office of Education provided a grant to support families of students in the Juvenile Hall system and County Office alternative schools.  

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Today, C.O.P.E continues to partner with Contra Costa County Mental Health Services, First 5 Contra Costa, Family Courts, Children and Family Services, Contra Costa County schools, and many other local organizations to provide affordable holistic support and education for families and children with the goal of empowering parents, encouraging healthy relationships, and cultivating nurturing families.   

Our Team