History

Family and Children’s Services of Central Maryland has a long, distinguished history of service to the Baltimore community dating back to 1849 when the agency was established as the Association to Improve the Condition of the Poor, a voluntary organization convened by Mayor Stansbury of Baltimore to help families make the transition from an agrarian to industrial society. Over the years, the agency has grown and broadened its programs through a number of mergers in response to emerging needs.

As the community grew and awareness of other social issues emerged, other organizations sprouted up to respond to these needs. The Henry Watson Children’s Aid Society began in 1861 as the organization concerned with children’s needs and rights. The other major predecessor organization was the Charity Organization Society which was founded by Daniel Coit Gilman, the President of Johns Hopkins University. The first paid professional at COS was Mary Richmond who is considered the mother of modern social work.

All three of these organizations did significant work and played a prominent role in the delivery of human services in Baltimore. Shortly after the turn of the century, the three agencies created a federation of organizations, known as Family and Children’s Society, to try to bring a more unified approach to helping families and the elderly.

The 80’s were a period of growth in government funding and the last major merger which brought together Family & Children’s Society which served Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County and Maryland Children and Family Services which had programs in Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, and Howard Counties. The merger was driven by the combine board’s belief that families would benefit from the strength of the programs of both agencies. At the time of merger, the new agency had fourteen programs in six jurisdictions.

Today the agency continues to emphasize a community based, holistic approach to services. More and more work takes place in non-office based settings. Our focus on prevention and treatment of child abuse represents the culmination of more than twenty-five years of experience treating victims of child abuse and their non-offending family members.