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True Colors Annual Conference XIX |
 North East Digital VillageApril is Child Abuse Prevention MonthValue. Respect. Love. Honor. Treasure. Words we hear used in relationship to children everyday. But not everywhere. Children are the one most single important resource we have—in your community and mine. The status, treatment and condition of children in our communities reflects who we were, who we are, where we may yet be—as individuals and as a society. It is our hope that the information presented here will touch each of you just enough to spark your concern and encourage you to get involved in preventing child abuse anywhere it exists. There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children. ~ Nelson Mandela How to Report Suspected Child MaltreatmentHow to Report Nationwide: Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp® National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD. (1.800.422.4453) . Local State-by-State Reporting Phone NumbersHow to Report Suspected Child MaltreatmentI in Connecticut: The Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Anyone who suspects that a child has been abused or neglected or is in danger of abuse or neglect is strongly encouraged to call the Hotline. The Hotline is staffed by full-time professionals of the Department of Children & Families who are skilled at helping receiving and processing reports of alleged child abuse and neglect. The Hotline worker gathers critical information from the caller to determine if a report meets Connecticut's statutory criteria for child abuse or neglect. Reports that meet the criteria are forwarded to a DCF case investigator for prompt and appropriate action. Callers may remain anonymous You are welcome to talk to a worker prior to making a full report -- err on the side of caution -- if you suspect a child is being neglected or abused -- Please call & Talk with a Hotline Worker. Child Welfare Information Gateway connects professionals and concerned citizens to timely, essential information and resources targeted to the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. Strengthening Families and Communities: 2011 Resource Guide: Information packet written to support child maltreatment prevention efforts by describing strategies and activities that promote protective factors. Written for service providers, to encourage and support them as they engage and partner with parents to protect, nurture, and promote the healthy development of children. The packet includes suggestions for enhancing each of the five protective factors in families; tip sheets in English and Spanish for providers to use when working with parents and caregivers on specific parenting challenges; strategies for sharing the message about child abuse prevention in communities; and information about child abuse and neglect. Parenting Resources section of the Child Welfare Information Gateway website: Find parenting tips, resources, and help in your community, and download a year-long calendar of activities that families can do together. National Black Child Development Institute: NBCDI exists to improve and protect the quality of life of African American children and their families. National & International Child Welfare Advocacy
Places to Volunteer/Ways to Help"One on One" Mentor Program: The Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) has a program just for youth. It is called "One on One" and it is a way for you to help Connecticut's youth become their best. Blinky Patrol: Volunteers and organizations across the country make binkies and give them away to children in need of comfort. Mercy Corps: Volunteer jobs available at Mercy Corps' U.S. headquarters in Portland, Oregon, are as diverse as our array of paid positions—and only slightly easier to land.. Brother's Brother Foundation: Proviing food, textbooks, and pharmaceuticals to children and communities in need. The foundation has provided 48 million books, serving 25 million students in more than 50,000 academic institutions worldwide. One of the most efficient and effective non-profit organizations in the US. Healing the Children: Non-profit, non-partisan, volunteer organization holding a 501(c)(3) tax exemption, whose purpose is to help children throughout the world receive medical care unavailable to them due to lack of medical and financial resources or health insurance. Make-A-Wish in Connecticut: Granting wishes of children with life-threatening illnesses. Stand for Children: Nationwide grassroots voice for children - taking action at the national, state, community, and neighborhood levels - from early childhood education and the schools to after-school programs and health services for kids. Resources/Ways to Get Help for ChildrenBrave Kids: Non-profit organization that helps children with chronic, life threatening illnesses and disabilities. Programs include an online community and web resource center for kids with special needs, their families and healthcare professionals, donations to disadvantaged children with special needs so they can maintain their education while they are out of school, resource centers in pediatric wards of hospitals and family centers so parents can locate the most recent medical information and resources. Connecticut HUSKY Plan: Designed to help all CT children who don't have health insurance. It includes services under the traditional Medicaid program, provides brand-new health services for children in higher-income families, for children who have intensive physical or behavioral health needs. Legal Resources for Victims of Sexual Abuse: from Susan K. Smith, Attorney at Law, Hartford CT. CT Department of Children & Families: Reporting child abuse & neglect as well as other ways to help children in CT. Victim Services Information & Rights: State of CT Juducal Branch How to Find a Victims' Lawyer in Your Area: from Susan K. Smith, Attorney at Law, Hartford CT. Resources for ProfessionalsNational Parent Aide Network: Established by parent aides and parent aide supporters, NPAN supports the growth of parent aide programs nationwide, with a purpose to promote activities which strengthen families, offer support to parents and prevent child abuse and neglect. GreatKidsCT Training Calendar: Events & Training of child-related issues in Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate: oversees the protection and care of children and advocates for their well-being. Court Cafe: Information about the Juvenile Court system in Connecticut Office of Victim Advocate: an independent Connecticut state agency who'd role is to evaluate and monitor how victims are treated by the criminal justice system in Connecticut, to reach out to victims of crime, explaining the process and lending support and provide oversight and advocacy when the criminal justice system fails victims. KidsCounsel: The Center for Children's Advocacy, Inc Non-profit organization located at the University of Connecticut School of Law in Hartford, CT. "Our mission is to promote and protect the legal rights and interests of poor children who are dependent upon the judicial, child welfare, health and mental health, education, and juvenile justice systems for their care." |
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