Children's Trust of South Carolina
News
February 2018
Looking Ahead to a Brighter 2018
Investments in Children Today Will Pay Dividends in the Future
The new year is off to an incredible start, and we at Children's Trust are prepared to do everything in our power to fulfill our mission of preventing child abuse, neglect and injury across South Carolina. However, when we read about the increase in confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect, including more infant fatalities related to parents practicing unsafe sleep habits, we know there is still much more work to do.

We know our programs help children and their families build resilience, grow stronger bonds, and find resources in their communities. We launched the Pee Dee Resiliency Project last fall in eight elementary schools as a way of addressing adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). We are in the process of continuing to expand Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) and the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) around the state. We also were elated to see Congress reauthorize the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grant through 2022, knowing that the families we serve through home visiting programs are less likely to be involved with the S.C. Department of Social Services, more likely to be employed, and more likely to have healthy children. 

We ask that you work in partnership with us as we continue our efforts to strengthen families and empower communities. Children need all of us to care for them, guide them, and most importantly, to use our voices and speak out as their champions for policies that support them and the families in which they live. Together we can make great childhoods possible for all of South Carolina’s children.
Congress Reauthorizes MIECHV Funding
Renewal of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program was included in the Feb. 9 Congressional budget bill signed into law, and it’s a significant victory for America’s families with young children from birth through age five.

Children's Trust has served as this state's federal grantee since 2010 for the  home visiting program , which partners with 16 implementing agencies across 41 counties using three models: Healthy Families America, Nurse-Family Partnership, and Parents as Teachers. The reauthorization extends this critical funding for five more years.

"This did not happen without the tremendous outreach to legislators and the incredible work and outcomes that our home visiting partners provide daily," Children's Trust director of program implementation Eric Bellamy said. "Let’s continue to build a stronger home visiting and early childhood field as we move forward."
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Children's Trust Unveils New Website
You may have noticed our new look online.

Our website at scchildren.org features a fresh design, improved user experience, and streamlined messaging that offers visitors a clearer understanding of the prevention work we do.

Please take the time to explore the updated content, which details our partners, research, advocacy, collaboration, training and awareness raising, and learn more about our expertise in the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury.
SFP Expands Into Darlington County
Children’s Trust awarded a $75,000 grant to Darlington County First Steps to implement the Strengthening Families Program (SFP) for the current year during a Feb. 12 board meeting of the Darlington County School District.
 
The program’s first 14-week cycle will be delivered this spring at West Hartsville Elementary School. Another cycle will take place in the fall.
 
SFP is an evidence-based program that works closely with families with children ages 6 to 11 to develop positive discipline practices, stay resilient in tough times, reduce conflict, improve parenting skills, and assist children with social skills, relationships, and school performance. All of these factors play an important role in keeping families strong while protecting against potential child abuse or neglect.
New SFP Videos Released

SFP, which began at four sties in 2014, is now administered by Children’s Trust with local partners in 24 of South Carolina’s counties.

Children's Trust recently produced two videos that detail the factors behind the program's continued growth and success from the perspective of organizational providers called " Building Bonds, Reducing Risks ," and the perspective of participating families called " Families Finding Strength ."
Donors Make End of Year Campaign a Success
Children's Trust sends out a big thank you to all the donors who made our year-end fundraising campaign a big success.

Using a theme of "Holidays Are Hard, Giving Is Easy," we put a little bit of humor in our campaign with the idea that while holidays can be messy and a little frustrating, they can also be fun. Yet we wanted to reinforce that many South Carolina families face much larger and more serious issues, and those are no laughing matter. 

From Thanksgiving to the last day of December, we raised $18,600. These funds will be used to bolster our continued statewide work to keep kids safe. Thank you to all those who contributed.
April Is Child Abuse Prevention Month
Children Trust, the South Carolina affiliate for Prevent Child Abuse America, is preparing for  Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month  in April by building a network of prevention partners across the state. We have more than 100 organizations in local communities committed to work as members of Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina (PCA SC).

Participation gives organizations the opportunity to connect to statewide prevention efforts, use unified messaging for CAP Month, and be part of the statewide voice advocating for prevention. Partners provide a visible presence for preventing child abuse and neglect by planting pinwheel gardens and raising awareness in their communities.

The pinwheel symbolizes the carefree spirit of great childhoods, when children grow up happy, healthy, nurtured and safe. Children’s Trust is aligning our messaging this year with Prevent Child Abuse America’s theme, “Help Great Childhoods Happen.”

For more information, contact Michael Shirley, community prevention coordinator for Children's Trust, at 803-744-4039 or mshirley@scchildren.org.
Leading the S.C. ACE Initiative
With continued financial support from the BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, the South Carolina Adverse Childhood Experiences Initiative enters the new year once again ready to lead the efforts to prevent and address ACEs in communities across the state.

The initiative focuses on sending 70-plus trainers to different groups to discuss ACEs and explain how Children’s Trust is collecting and disseminating data, building a prevention planning framework, and promoting sound legislative policy that can make an impact on the lives of South Carolinians. ACE trainers provide information on how traumatic events in the lives of children can lead to poor health and social outcomes as adults

We will host a training called Introduction to Adverse Childhood Experiences next month that covers four key areas: neurobiology and brain development, ACE Study, individual and population impact, and prevention and resiliency. 

Family Connection Enters the Spotlight
Family Connection of South Carolina, which is delivering Triple P through Community Based Child Abuse Prevention funding, was recently featured in a Children's Bureau publication (see page 8 of link) on the risk and prevention of maltreatment for children with disabilities.

The organization also is a new Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) grantee, operating the Parents as Teachers program in the counties of York, Chester, Lancaster and Chesterfield. Family Connection's mission is to change lives by making connections, raising awareness and promoting inclusion for those with disabilities and special health care needs.
Early Childhood Trainings
Over the past month across the state, Children's Trust has held a series of trainings called Intro to Early Childhood Growth and Development 101, where attendees can learn more about the growth and development in early childhood with a focus on building a healthy brain, developing social-emotional skills, and understanding temperaments. This training is open to all child-serving professionals, including staff at the Department of Social Services, foster parents, guardian ad litem, child care providers, kinship care providers, and CASA workers. The final one is upcoming.

Use Check-Off When Filing S.C. Taxes
With tax season approaching, Children's Trust asks citizens to make a donation to prevent child abuse, neglect and injury through the state income tax Check-Off program.
 
Administered by the S.C. Department of Revenue, Check-Off is a long-standing vehicle for taxpayers to make contributions to a wide variety of statewide funds, including Children's Trust Fund. Those who wish to make a donation of any amount may complete  tax form S.C. I-330 . Donations support a broad range of innovative programs that keep kids safe as well as build stronger families and communities.
Meet Our New Employees
Alison Askins serves as the event planner. She plans and implements high-quality events, including training, program, board, and other ad hoc events and functions. She previously served as the director of volunteer programs at Pawmetto Lifeline and volunteer services senior specialist at the American Red Cross Asheville Mountain Area Chapter.
Gwen Love provides fiscal support on grants and contracts as the grants accountant. She works with the grants compliance manager, program officers, and staff in implementing financial oversight to grants management operations. She previously worked as the accounting associate for the Head Start and Early Head Start for Orangeburg-Calhoun-Allendale-Bamberg Community Action Agency.
Neil Mellen educates policy makers, thought leaders and child advocates on issues that impact children and families as the director of policy and advocacy. He works to advance public policies at the local, state and federal levels that reduce child abuse, neglect and injury. He previously played a key role as an architect of South Carolina’s tax credit and scholarship programs for students with special educational needs.
Published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.