Governor Lincoln D. Chafee held a public proclamation ceremony at the State House today declaring April 2014 to be "What Every Parent Wants Month." The statewide public campaign initiated today marks an effort headed by Dr. Janice DeFrances, Director of the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF), to focus on presenting a positive approach to promoting public awareness for the prevention of child abuse.
"I commend the Family Care Community Partnerships, DCYF and Dr. DeFrances for this collaborative effort," Governor Chafee said. "The health and wellness of this State's children are vital to the future of Rhode Island. Ensuring that our families are supported is a worthwhile cause."
The theme, I love my child… is designed to highlight the efforts of the four local Family Care Community Partnerships (FCCPs) to help strengthen and support families. The four regional partnerships were developed by the DCYF to provide children and families with guidance as a way of assisting and promoting healthy family practices. Each FCCP, Northern RI, Washington/Kent, East Bay and Urban Core, uses a nationally recognized practice model called Wraparound to successfully bring a family to its highest potential. This model consists of a team of professionals collaborating with a family to develop a personalized, coordinated care plan that "surrounds" the family with services confronting the family's issues, including areas such as basic needs, mental health and behavioral counseling, healthcare and education. The initiative also includes supportive services for youth transitioning back into their homes from the Thomas C. Slater Training School for Youth, with the objective of decreasing the likelihood of future involvement in the Juvenile Justice System.
Director DeFrances said that "the way that families access assistance is being transformed. We are working diligently to remove barriers to services, and families are being given a voice, a choice, and a shared responsibility for changing the course of their children's lives."
Each year approximately 13,000 families come to the attention of the DCYF. The Family Care Community Partnerships serve 2,200 families each year. There are over 219,000 families in Rhode Island raising children under the age of 18.
For more information, go to www.dcyf.ri.gov.