Karen Tan now occupies a different job at the nonprofit Child & Family Service — president and chief executive officer, moving into her office at the health and human services agency’s downtown location. But CFS’ headquarters in Ewa Beach also had an office for the CEO — and that she has decided to convert into an “innovation room,” a place where, Tan said, “thought happens.”

One idea: There are plans for “cause marketing” — linking CFS to the sale of items as a fundraising and marketing strategy, she said.

And where else is innovation needed?

“Kupuna services have slowly been unfunded,” said Tan, 48. “We’re seeing them shrink, when people are getting older. That’s concerning to me.

“So, I’m already planning on bringing a group of key people to that room, to do brainstorming and planning — what’s working, what’s not, where do we go from here, and come up with a strategy to address that area.”

Tan is the married mother of three teenage daughters, the eldest starting college at Seattle Pacific University, where Tan had earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology. She went on to get a master’s in social work from University of Hawaii at Manoa and is a licensed clinical social worker.

Most of her jobs have been leadership positions, including her 12 at CFS — most recently serving as chief program officer. She has watched the state’s social service organizations struggle with diminishing funds in elder care and other areas. And even when it’s not diminished, it can be held up, putting services on hold.

“The challenge is that the money comes from the federal government, stops at the state, then to the city,” she said. “So you have three levels of processing, so it can delay the funding.”

There are meetings in the works with government agencies aimed at curbing that problem, she said.

“They don’t want services to stop, either,” Tan added, “and that’s the good thing. And I get it. It’s that the city doesn’t necessarily want you to start when the money hasn’t yet arrived. It’s the way we treat our own bank accounts.”

Question: Could you describe the scope of work that CFS handles? What is your staff size and annual budget?

Answer: CFS is all about family. We are one of the largest nonprofits in the state, with more than 50 programs statewide to help family members of all ages, or what we like to call “from twinkle to wrinkle.”

We work with families to address serious life challenges such as poverty, abuse and neglect, connecting them with the resources they need to help them envision and plan a future in which they can thrive.

Our programs include preschool education, nurturing parenting and child abuse prevention, alternative education for youth, domestic violence emergency services, therapeutic counseling, employment assistance, and programs to support the elderly and their caregivers.

Our Family Centers on five islands reflect our focus on meeting families where they are and walking with them. These walk-in, one-stop centers provide a multitude of services, including help with food, clothing and information, as well as counseling and family strengthening services for all family members.

We have 475 employees and an annual budget of $30 million.

Q: Has the recently reported delay in federal funding for some city programs affected your services?

A: CFS has long partnered with our city and state governments to serve our most vulnerable kupuna.

The recently reported story was related to kupuna services currently funded through Title III of the Federal Older Americans Act and administered by the City and County of Honolulu.

CFS was providing services funded through Title III through our Ohana Care program that served 50 kupuna caregivers and their families. We had already planned on not providing these services when our contract ended last month.

We also greatly appreciate the work of the city to expedite the funding process so that services delivered by other nonprofits with Title III contracts could continue needed services without interruption. Q: How is CFS dealing with anticipated reductions in grants, given the more conservative federal government?

A: Our board of directors over the past several years recognized the need for diversified funding and revenue sources, and as a result CFS receives financial support from a variety of sources including government contracts, private support, corporate and community support.

In 2014 we also launched the CFS Stronger Families Fund, an innovative approach to funding that brings like-minded donors together through multi-year commitments to provide a longer-term stable source off flexible funding for pressing needs as well as initiatives that support the strategic direction of CFS — 100 percent of our board has contributed to the fund. In four years we have raised more than $2.2 million through donations from community supporters.

Q: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. What do you think should be done on this issue?

A: Domestic abuse hotlines offer 24-hour access to help when it is needed most. Emergency shelters where victims and their families can stay up to 90 days and sometimes a little longer offer a next step for families. We have two on Oahu and two on the Big Island.

Fortunately there are other organizations that operate shelters on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Molokai as well.

Lasting change requires more than temporary shelter. We operate a transitional housing facility in Leeward Oahu to help families to build skills necessary for self-sufficiency.

Women receive housing, support, case management, as well as financial literacy and job training assistance. Residents are able to heal, refocus, and ultimately put their lives back together. Families can participate in the program for two years, with six months of follow up services.

Of the families that have left the shelter, 84 percent did not return to abusive relationships. The remaining families returned to their abusers as the abusers sought treatment and the families have reported that they are safe.

Q: What services, for example, could be strengthened or restored that would be effective to reduce child abuse and neglect?

A: CFS employs a program called Healthy Families America, a model pioneered in Hawaii, with significant success rates in preventing child abuse, often with families who are at high risk of such abuse. Healthy Families is accredited under Healthy Families America, which is recognized by the federal government as an evidenced-based model, which means they have been researched to prove effectiveness.

Through assessments and referrals with partnering health care and other nonprofit organizations, we provide home visiting services to families that build an environment of nurturing and care for their loved ones.

Over 99 percent of parents who stay 12 months or longer in our Healthy Families program have no report of child abuse, and these are families at the highest risk of abuse. Supportive services prior to and at the time of birth effectively reduce the impact of pervasive life stressors, reduce parental stress, and increase attentive and consistent care giving to newborns.

Q:What are your goals for CFS, and which one do you want to tackle first?

A: Strengthening families and preventing abuse and neglect in our community are top priorities for CFS. Our children are our future. We as a community need to ensure that we are supporting their emotional, physical and developmental needs, and that we are modeling the values and behavior that will help them to become successful adults.

Honoring our kupuna is also an important and immediate priority for CFS. Clearly Hawaii’s growing population of elderly will continue to put pressure on community resources to provide services to kupuna and their caregivers.

We also want to continue to be a leader in our community in measuring the results of our programs through data to ensure we are making measurable impact on the lives of the families we serve.