The LDS Church has several Family Services branches across the world. The most popular Family Services branch in Arizona is in Phoenix AZ. The Arizona Office of Children’s Services, a division of the Office of Social Services in Arizona, was created by the Act of Congress, signed by President Nixon on May 5, 1972. This Act directs the Social Service Agency to operate such family services programs as housing and community development, public assistance, foster care and adoption services. There are also several Community Action Service centers or community action agencies which offer similar services to the general public. Community Action Services are run by the Federal Community Affairs Program of HUD.
One of the Community Action Service centers is the Family Services division of the Latter Day Saints in Phoenix Arizona. The Family Services division was established by Elder George F. Richards, second counselor in the First Presidency of the Church. Elder Richards wrote a manual to assist the LDS Church in their family service programs and services which was entitled, “Improvement of the Family.” The manual is still used today to teach LDS Church members of other faiths how they can better care for their families. In this manual, Elder Richards explains that family service does not begin with sending your children to a school, it goes much deeper than that. The Family Services division also offers many other services and programs such as domestic violence services, drug abuse programs, teen services, welfare programs, and so much more.
The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has one of the best standing family programs in the entire United States. This program is called “The Utah Family Services System.” The Utah Family Services System provides a variety of different family services to all people living in Utah. This includes both adults and children and is managed by the Utah Department of Health and Welfare. The Department of Health and Welfare provides all the funding and all the staff for the Family Services division. The Family Services division runs a number of different services including, drug abuse programs, domestic violence programs, and homeless shelters. Many of the domestic violence programs are designed to stop domestic violence by educating family members and their children about domestic violence.
