A $60,000 grant will help advocates better serve children who have been removed from their homes due to mistreatment in the Pensacola area.

The Florida Institute for Child Welfare awarded the grant to Families First Network, a program of Lakeview Center, for the Early Childhood Court Teams in Escambia and Okaloosa counties.

The goal is to improve the overall well-being of children ages 3 and under who have been removed from their homes.

The grants will fund training for the court team on trauma-informed care (TIC), and will include information:

— The effects of trauma in children.

— How to engage parents who have their own trauma history.

— How to help workers who deal with families with trauma histories avoid burnout.

The Court Teams ensure that children in the child welfare system receive health and psychosocial services including early intervention for developmental delays to ensure their safety, enhance their well-being, increase chances of reunification, and reach permanency more quickly.

FFN has provided coordinating support for an Early Childhood Court Team in Escambia County since September 2013 and in Okaloosa County since March 2015.