CFGC Introduces Safety Bear Cares, a New Child Abuse Prevention Program

Safety Bear is a child abuse prevention and intervention program offered through Community Family Guidance Center. Case managers from the Center provide educational presentations in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms in local schools. In the presentations, children learn what child abuse is, who to tell if they are being hurt. In addition to the school presentations, CFGC case managers also present to the parents of the students. The parent presentations focus on educating parents about physical, sexual, and emotional abuse as well as neglect. 
 
For many parents, the Safety Bear program is their first exposure to education about child abuse. For other parents, attending the presentations brings up their own history of trauma and abuse, domestic violence, or their current involvement with the Department of Children and Family Services. Many parents are reporting to the case managers that they understand how their own history impacts their parenting abilities, and report that they would like to talk to someone about these issues.  
 
Because the Safety Bear program is facilitated by Bachelors level case managers, and not masters level therapists, the program has been limited in the amount of on-going support that can be provided to these parents. An obstacle that these parents face is that many of them lack health insurance coverage, have a language barrier, or are low income, making it difficult or impossible for them to find the help they need. The Safety Bear Cares program was designed to address this need. 
 
Safety Bear Cares offers one-time assessment sessions with a Masters level therapist with the goal of connecting them with community services when available. For those parents in need of on-going counseling who are unable to access other services, the Center is offering short term therapy of 10 sessions per parent. Safety Bear Cares continues the mission of the Center to provide services to the highest need families in our community. 
 
The Center is currently raising funds to support Safety Bear Cares for the fall school year. To learn more about the program, or to make a donation, please contact Laura Gale at lgale@cfgcenter.com.