Pictured from left to right: Beverly Wilburn, Mabeline Woods, Lynette Cruz, Hugh ‘Buddy’ James
Several members of the Family Support Project (FSP), Caruthersville, were recently recognized for their work to support and strengthen families in Pemiscot and Dunklin counties. Recognized were FSP Coordinator Beverly Wilburn, University of Missouri Extension Nutrition Specialist Mabeline Woods, Lynette Cruz, In-School Career Education Program Coordinator, and Re-entry Program Director Hugh “Buddy” James. FSP is a Community Based-Child Abuse Prevention Program (CBCAP) funded by a federal grant administered by the Missouri Children’s Trust Fund. The CBCAP in Missouri is an evidenced-based model designed to strengthen families with young children by providing coordinated wrap-around family-centered services and support that promotes the safety and well-being of children and reduces parent stress. Integrating the five protective factors proven to strengthen families, the “Missouri model” provides a community network coordinator who works with a larger service provider network to build capacity, organize and deliver services to families in an integrated, strength-based and comprehensive way. Each eligible family works with a lead agency and the overall provider network to develop and implement a family road map for achieving goals.
[Full story appearing in the Daily Dunklin Democrat]
In addition to Pemiscot and Dunklin counties, the CBCAP program is currently being implemented in Jasper and Newton counties (Joplin) with the intent to expand to two new communities in Fiscal Year 2011. By sucessfully incorporating this model, the community provider network offers a coordinated and more efficient way of delivering prevention and family support services to the community; reduces the duplication of existing services; maximizes the often strained resources of public and private providers to better serve children and families; increases the social capital of each community and the providers within the community so that they can strengthen and expand their delivery system; and supports and strengthens families including reducing parental stress that can ultimately lead to child abuse and neglect.
CBCAP community sites have and continue to show statistically significant improvement in scores of standardized measures of family risk (Child Abuse Potential Inventory) and distress (Parent Stress Index) among volunteer parent participants. Families also report high levels of satisfaction with the network of services they receive.
For additional information about the CBCAP Program, contact CTF Program Coordinator Laura Malzner at (573)751-6511 or laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov.
