Children's Trust of South Carolina
News
December 2018
Williams: Pulling for Strong Families into 2019
The Beatles once sang, “We get by with a little help from our friends.”

Though they may not have been talking about the work of nonprofits, the sentiment holds true. The toughest jobs become a little bit easier when you have a common purpose and everyone starts to pull in the same direction. You really can see great things happen. That is how I feel about the work Children’s Trust does with our upstream prevention partners to build strong families and empower the communities in which they live.

We know communities can best support families when they have the appropriate knowledge and resources, which Children's Trust helps provide. We're very fortunate to work with many amazing organizations and individuals across this great state – all pulling together for a better future for South Carolina.

Most importantly, because of the work we do together, we are seeing the results. Great things ARE happening for so many families.You’re also an important piece of the prevention puzzle. Thanks to your generosity, Children's Trust had a successful Giving Tuesday campaign by raising more than $18,000, which will have an impact all year long.

If you have not already made a donation, I hope you will join us for our year-end giving campaign. Any gift will help us support local organizations with prevention resources that make for healthier and safer children, resilient families and empowered communities.

From our family to yours, we wish you a joyful holiday and prosperous 2019!
CEO
Children's Trust of South Carolina
Five New Members Join Children's Trust Board
Children's Trust announces the addition of five board members pending approval by the governor's office. They bring a wide variety of professional and personal experience to our work preventing child abuse, neglect and injury across South Carolina.
Marcus Brown is an attorney in the Columbia office of Turner Padget Graham and Laney, where his practice focuses on personal injury and premises liability. He is a volunteer with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Greater Columbia and the Homeless Legal Protection Clinic. Marc also serves on the board of Communities in Schools of the Midlands. 
Beverly Hamilton is the associate vice president of government contracts at Molina Healthcare of South Carolina. She has professional experience in both the private and public health care sectors. She has served as a board member for several South Carolina nonprofit organizations, including United Way of the Midlands, Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services, and the Boys and Girls Club.
Tim Lyons is a partner in the Columbia office of Mauldin and Jenkins, specializing in audit services for a wide range of clients, including middle market and privately held businesses, employee benefit plans, higher education, nonprofit organizations and governmental entities. He recently completed a term on the board of directors of the Educational Foundation of the Georgia Society of CPAs. 
Sharon Teague is a market executive for Founders Federal Credit Union – Lancaster/Columbia. She serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Lancaster County and also as the president nominee for the Lancaster Rotary Clu b. She wants to help communicate the impact of the Children's Trust work while helping ensure long-term sustainability.
Philip Vann is a brokerage associate for Colliers International in Columbia with a specialty in tenant advisory services and experience in lease/sale contracts, site selection, solicitation and analysis of proposals from landlords, integrated space planning, and tenant improvement allowances. Philip is a board member of Youth Corps of Columbia and a volunteer with the Midlands Reading Consortium.
Federal Official Learns About Positive Impact of Prevention in South Carolina
Children's Bureau Official Visits with Families in the Lowcountry
A group of families and child-serving professionals sat together at a table in a small conference room at the University Pediatrics – Northwoods in North Charleston, part of the MUSC Children’s Health system, to talk about their experiences in home visiting and family strengthening programs.

Intently listening to the discussion was Jerry Milner, associate commissioner of the Children’s Bureau, an Office of the Administration for Children and Families in Washington, D.C. Milner visited Charleston in mid-November, and Children's Trust afforded him the opportunity to hear directly from families who are receiving community-based prevention services from several of our Lowcountry partners.
National Alliance Brings Together States to Discuss Prevention
The  National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds , of which Children’s Trust is an active member, held its annual membership meeting Nov. 13-15 at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston with a theme of “Turning Hope into Reality.”

Thirty-two states were represented by staff and board members to learn about resources and strategies for building strong relationships, the latest research findings, how federal budget and policy issues impact their work, and what peer successes they can share that will help shape their future directions as they work to promote primary prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Building a Bridge to Stronger Families
Tracy Redfearn looks across the tables in the West Hartsville Elementary School cafeteria and sees the quintessential setting for the Strengthening Families Program.

Redfearn, a psychologist and the executive director of the Child and Family Resource Center, serves as the site coordinator for the program being implemented by Darlington County First Steps. She believes the program’s lessons mesh ideally within the school’s walls and the community’s broader social fabric.

Eleven families graduated from the 14-week cycle in the spring, and they were followed by 10 more 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, improve parenting skills, and assist children with social skills, relationships, and school performance. It's being implemented by Children's Trust in collaboration with local partners in 24 counties across South Carolina.
Equity Summit Addresses Race and Reconciliation
The University of South Carolina hosted Equity Summit 2018, which brought together community and academic leaders to discuss race equity and inclusion over two days in November.

With a focus on race equity, they work to ensure that all children in South Carolina have the opportunity to grow into strong, productive adults – free from the long-lasting effects of adversity and trauma.

Children's Trust served as a co-sponsor of the summit along with the South Carolina Collaborative for Race and Reconciliation, the South Carolina Race Equity and Inclusion Collaborative, the Arnold School of Public Health, and the Center for Civil Rights History and Research.
Families Discover Resources in Home Visiting
As the nurse manager at Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital Outpatient Center, which implements the Parents as Teachers model as part of the federal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program’s federal grant, Sara Sterne works closely with Children’s Trust staff to build stronger health and educational foundations for families.

Serving as South Carolina’s lead agency for MIECHV since 2010, Children’s Trust supports three evidence-based home visiting models – Parents as Teachers, Healthy Families America, and Nurse-Family Partnership – in partnership with implementing agencies in 41 counties. Last year 16 funded sites served 1,242 families through 13,816 home visits. These voluntary program models serve mothers, young children and families by providing them with important resources and skills.

“It’s really connecting with educational resources, resources for support for parents, and collaboration,” Sterne said. “We have a good system that can work for us and help us.”
Triple P Takes Off in Two Counties
Abby Wilson, senior manager of community implementation for Children’s Trust, is responsible for leading a collaborative, population-level approach in the implementation of the evidence-based Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) across the state. Funded through The Duke Endowment, Triple P South Carolina – a partnership between Children’s Trust, The Impact Center at Frank Porter Graham, and Triple P America – will lead Triple P scaling in South Carolina through the development of governance, support and delivery systems.

Backed by more than 30 years of ongoing research since its origination in Australia, Triple P is currently used nationally and internationally to give parents practical strategies to assist them in managing their children’s behavior. Wilson answered five questions about the launch of the program in the state, beginning with Georgetown and Greenville counties.
Sign Up By Jan. 9 of New Year to Save $50
Become a Part of Child Abuse Prevention Month
Each year Children Trust, the South Carolina affiliate for Prevent Child Abuse America, leads   Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month   in April. Preparations are already underway for CAP Month 2019.

Local community organizations across the state are invited to become a prevention partner 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. Until Jan. 9, 2019, cost to sign up is $200, a discount of $50.

Each partner receives: one box of 240 pinwheels, two yard signs, 20 lapel pins and other prevention materials. For more information, contact Melanie Weintraub, Lipscomb associate for Children's Trust, at 803-744-4052 or  mweintraub@scchildren.org .
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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.