Fostering resilience and hope for children who have survived trauma, abuse, and neglect
Resilience Program
Our vision
Our vision is to deliver a safe, trusted, and culturally sensitive response for every child affected by abuse and neglect, and serve as a medical home for those in need. Working with county agencies, medical professionals, and community partners, our Resilience Program helps children stabilize, heal, and thrive by supporting timely communication and providing trauma-informed medical care.
Rady Children’s Health Orange County (formerly CHOC) is opening the Mrs. Cari Peets and Family Resilience Clinic on our Orange, CA campus.
The need in our community
Children in all neighborhoods and communities may experience Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Research shows ACEs carry cumulative effects that impact a child’s physical health and emotional well-being into adulthood.
ACEs include:
- Physical abuse
- Sexual abuse and assault
- Psychological maltreatment
- Exposure to substance use
- Domestic violence
- Exposure to domestic violence
- Disrupted relationships with their parents or other adults who love them
- Loss of home, including placement in foster care
The more ACEs a child experiences, the greater the risk of chronic and debilitating illness. Long term consequences include high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer, along with mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, and self-harm behaviors.
Most children and adolescents this program serves live with ACEs. Abuse, neglect, and psychological maltreatment are adverse childhood experiences; children who survive maltreatment carry elevated risk to their physical health, cognitive development, and emotional well-being.
When a child’s safety requires removal from their home, that decision is meant to protect them; however, removal from the home can also be an adverse childhood experience. Separation from parents or other adults who love them, transitions from home and school, and disruption of daily routines may frighten or distress a young child. Older children may respond with anger, anxiety, and depression. When the community’s response is not coordinated, the child may experience additional frustration.
Without a timely coordinated response, gaps in care may open, and early opportunities to provide help are missed. A child who is already vulnerable may be left to navigate more instability.
Children in foster care also have different needs at different ages. An infant or toddler may need close attention to growth and developmental milestones, while a school-age child or teen may need support with behavioral health, thriving at school, and building trusted relationships. At every age, children in foster care need medical care, developmental support, mental health services, social services, and connection to community resources. These needs are best met when they are addressed together.
Foster parents and caregivers play a central role in a child’s recovery. Caring for a child who has experienced trauma may call for a different approach with each child, depending on that child’s age, history, and needs. What helps one child feel safe may not work for another. Welcoming a child into the home can also bring challenges of its own, and caregivers may need direct support and guidance to provide the stable, nurturing care that helps a child heal.
We have both an opportunity and a responsibility to intervene to change what happens next.
The Resilience Program provides a coordinated clinical experience, grounded in trauma-informed care for the children who need these services most. By bringing medical, mental health, and support services together in one place, we work to minimize the harm of ACEs and to build the resilience that allows a child to recover and to thrive.
Protective and resilience factors can buffer the impact of ACEs. These interventions include adequate health and mental health treatment for children and their parents, stable and nurturing relationships with positive adults, and a true home.
Children who have experienced ACEs may benefit from an expert medical evaluation by a child abuse specialist. Children may also benefit from having a medical home for ongoing primary pediatric care. All children who have survived maltreatment benefit from connection to resources and professional services that can help them build resilience and reach their full potential.
~26,000
children in Orange County received support from Child Protective Services in 2025.
1,200+
children entered out-of-home placement, such as foster care, in 2025.
The State of California requires that children entering foster care receive an initial health assessment within 72 hours of the transition, and a comprehensive health assessment within 30 days. Beyond the initial assessments, most children in foster placement benefit from a sustained connection to a primary care medical home, behavioral health services, and community resources.
The Mrs. Cari Peets and Family Resilience Clinic Will Offer:
- Trauma-informed medical care for children and families
- Expert medical consultation for concerns of child abuse and neglect
- Initial health assessment within 72 hours of the transition to foster placement
- Comprehensive medical, developmental, and behavioral health evaluation within 30 days of the transition
- Comprehensive medical and developmental evaluation within 30 days
- Mental health assessment and continuing services, including individual and group therapy, parenting support, and consultation with other specialists
- Care navigation, including connection to specialty and community services and support navigating the foster care system
- A Confidence Closet stocked with donated essentials, such as school supplies and personal care items
- Consultation for community partners
- Education and advocacy for professionals and the community
- Guidance and coaching for foster families
Mrs. Cari Peets and Family Resilience Clinic
The Mrs. Cari Peets and Family Resilience Clinic is located in the Purple Tower on the Rady Children’s Health in Orange County campus. We anticipate that the care hours will expand from four to five days a week in 2027.
Location
Purple Tower (formerly Southwest Tower), 6th floor
555 South Main Street Orange, CA 92868
Orange Campus
To learn more about the Mrs. Cari Peets and Family Resilience Clinic or find out how you can help, please call 714-509-3397. Our phone is on Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Ways to help
Confidence Closet wish list
The Confidence Closet is stocked with donated essentials for children in care. Donations such as the following unused/new items are welcome:
- Personal care items, including toothbrushes, shampoo, deodorant, pimple patches, and similar essentials.
- School supplies
- Clothes
- Backpacks
- Bags / totes
If you’re interested in donating to our Confidence Closet, view our Amazon wish lists:
If you’re interested in donating items directly rather than through Amazon, please call 714-509-7573 or email [email protected] to arrange for drop off with our practice manager, Thalia Ramirez.