Caring for Kids

An Accredited Organization of Parents Anonymous ® Inc.

by Imelda Tatsch

April is child abuse prevention and awareness month. Throughout the months, there will be candlelight vigils held, blue ribbons worn and Prevent Child Abuse signs placed to honor and remember children and families whose lives have been touched by abuse. This month’s column will be to inform the reader just a bit about the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center (NETCAC) and Caring for Kids.

Most people thinkchild abuse is something you only hear about on the news in the large metropolitan cities like Dallas or Houston, New York City or maybe Los Angeles.  No one wants to think that it could happen in our community, but it does; yes, even in small town USA.

The NETCAC in Winnsboro is in place because child abuse does happen. We need to bring awareness of the abuse, as well as awareness that there are people here ready to help the children and their families victimized by the abuse.

For readers who may not know what the Child Advocacy Center is or its purpose this is a brief overview.

When a child makes an outcry (tells someone that they have been hurt or touched inappropriately) it is the responsibility of that person to make a report to either Law Enforcement or Child Protective Services (CPS) or the Child Abuse Hotline. CPS and /or Law Enforcement calls for an appointment with the Child Advocacy Center to have the child interviewed with a trained forensic interviewer. The child and the interviewer talk one on one while Law Enforcement and CPS observe on a closed circuit monitor in the next room. A videotape is made of each interview. This process saves the child from the further trauma of repeating their outcry again and again to each person involved in the investigation.

Caring for Kids is the child abuse prevention program of the NETCAC. This program presents a variety of opportunities for anyone involved in the care of children with specialized programs to fit specific needs. We know that parenting is possibly the most difficult responsibility we will ever undertake, and it comes with the least amount of instruction.

If our children did come with instructions those instructions might read; much assembly required, tools needed; patience, love, patience, understanding, more patience, and most important a good support team.

However, oOur children do not come with instructions, and we can’t even count on learning from experience because every child is different. Each one is a unique gift, and our job as parents is to focus on and nurture that uniqueness. That is at the heart of the programs we offer at Caring for Kids.

Do we have the answers for the best way to raise a family? Absolutely not! What we do have are suggestions for possibly a different way of talking with your child, or an alternate form of discipline when what you keep trying is not working.  We learn what we live and realize that parents tend to parent as they were parented. This is how negative cycles are repeated. When this is recognized, we can choose to keep the family patterns that work and make changes where they are needed.

Our program offers parent education and ongoing support for adult parents and grand parents, as well as a curriculum for pregnant teens and teen parents. The teen curriculum takes them from the pregnancy and birth process through infancy to age three.

Studies have shown that birth to three years is an extremely important time in a child’s life. A child’s experiences during this early stage of development often affect the rest of their lives. Caring for Kids also offers a curriculum specifically created for incarcerated parents about to reunite with their families. Currently we are offering this class at the Johnston Unit in Winnsboro.

For our children, we offer a special training. “PS It’s My Body” is a personal safety program developed for and presented to children in pre-k through middle school. The program teaches that each child has the right to their personal space and body. The three principal ideas are; Recognize, Resist and Report RECOGNIZE the difference between “Welcome and Unwelcome” touches. An unwelcome touch is any touch that you do not choose to share. RESIST, say NO and move away and REPORT, tell someone (a safe adult) and continue telling until someone believes you. The most important message we give them is this; if something has happened or does happen it is “never ever their fault”.

This has been a brief summary of the purpose and focus of The NETCAC and Caring for Kids. We could not do what we do for the children without community support and dedicated volunteers offering their time to assist us in our mission to “break the cycle of abuse, one child at a time”.  To learn more about The Advocacy Center, please call or go to www.netcac.org. We need you!

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Imelda Tatsch is the Program Director at the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center (NETCAC) located in Winnsboro, and her columns appear in their bi-monthly newsletter. In "Caring for Kids" she offers support, insight, and a touch of humor for parents and grandparents. She is a trained facilitator for parenting classes.

She will be happy to answer questions about parenting and family relationships. You can e-mail her with your questions.