History

Partners was first established in 1988 under the leadership of Dr. Alan Hendrickson as a clinic of Deaconess Medical Center. Washington State provided funding through the Special Children’s Projects: Continuum, of Care as the Regional Center for Child Abuse & Neglect (RCCAN). RCCAN was the first pilot project in Spokane designed as a public-private partnership to fill the gap in service to families.

In 1997, Deaconess Medical Center, Casey Family Programs and Sacred Heart Medical Center formed Casey Family Partners, LLC, governed by a founding Board of Directors that included Mike Wilson (Sacred Heart), Tom Zellers (Deaconess), James Edmondson (Casey Family Programs), Jennifer Roseman (Sisters of Providence), Mari Clack (Women Helping Women Fund), Ric Odegard, Carol Wendle and Stacey Cowles.

In 2003, this partnership was dissolved and a new independent 501(c)(3) corporation was formed as Partners With Families & Children. Dr. Hendrickson’s vision became a community based, cost-effective resource to reduce the risk of abuse and restore families to health, under the leadership of founding director Mary Ann Murphy, who retired in 2011.

Since 2004, Partners has been licensed by the State of Washington, Department of Social & Health Services, to provide outpatient substance use disorders treatment and mental health services, as well as the only resource in Eastern Washington to provide specialized medical examinations, child forensic interviews and child legal advocacy under one roof, and in a supportive, child-friendly environment. In 2005, Partners became accredited through the National Children’s Alliance as a Children’s Advocacy Center, meeting ten rigorous national standards for the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of child victims of sexual and physical abuse.

Partners' has been involved in two federal outcomes studies. From 1999 to 2003, Partners was one of the twelve nationwide sites of the “"Starting Early Starting Smart"” project. Partners'’ model has been reviewed and included in the National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) of the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

In early 2020 Partners purchased and renovated the Taylor building at at 106 W. Mission in Spokane