The Voices of Child Advocates of Fort Bend APRIL 2024

Welcome friends!

from the ceo

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and this issue is dedicated to all those children who have suffered from abuse and neglect

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and we are bringing out all the stops this month to honor and recognize the 23,000 children who have been abused in our community since we opened our doors in 1991 while pledging to do everything possible to prevent other children from becoming abused. This is a lofty goal but one we take very seriously by incorporating it into our Vision: To End the Cycle of Abuse. We have launched a countywide Child Abuse Prevention Collaborative (CAP-C) with 25 agencies across Fort Bend County who are united in this effort. Beginning with a deep understanding of what measures, resources and supports could have prevented abuse by talking to former victims, parents and other stakeholders to designing a Prevention Resource Library to Prototyping Solutions in schools, we are reframing child abuse response from a criminal justice mindset to a public health epidemic. Just last month, we launched our Child Sexual Exploitation Care

Care Coordination initiative (CSE-CC) which brings partner agencies across the county together to have a coordinated response to the growing incidence and tragedy of sexual exploitation of children. The scope of our work will encompass both CASA and CAC because we know that children in foster care are the most targeted for recruitment into sex trafficking and the majority of children we serve in our CAC (80%+) are victims of sexual abuse and may also be vulnerable. Please read more about these two program inside our VOICES issue this month. We also have expanded our Community Outreach and Engagement where we go into schools, daycares, community centers, houses of worship, youth programs and medical clinics and educate children, parents and other stakeholders about risks, internet safety, grooming, reporting, bullying and positive parenting. Last year, we reached 18,324 children and adults with prevention and safety messaging. The national symbol for continued next page

child abuse prevention is the Blue Ribbon which commemorates the death of a baby who died from abuse. His grandmother tied a blue ribbon on the antenna of her car to signal her grief and raise awareness about the tragedy of child abuse. We have a full calendar of events this month so please wear blue, pin a blue ribbon on your lapel, put al blue ribbon magnet on your car or tie a blue ribbon around a tree in your yard and support all the many children whose lives have been touched by abuse or neglect. Let’s

Let’s together signal our support and commitment to ending the tragedy of child abuse.

For the Children's Sake,

Ruthanne

Ruthanne Mefford, CEO

How CASA is Assessing Risk for Children

By Aly Ferrante, CASA Program Director

Youth in foster care are at a heightened risk for becoming victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking which imposes the need for a comprehensive and collaborative approach to identifying needs, scaffolding awareness, and connecting youth and families with resources and services specifically designed to address the needs of these youth and families

Our CASA Program works to proactively train CASA Volunteers and work closely alongside them to assess risk for trafficking and sexual abuse. Our CASA Program staff has been trained by Lighthouse to complete the CSE-IT tool (Commercial Sexual Exploitation Identification Tool) for youth if and when there

are any concerns This tool enables us to scale the amount of risk present and can point to needed resources

When one CASA youth came forward about something she had experienced, she was immediately referred to our Children’s Advocacy Center where she received a forensic interview Although the allegations were ruled out, there was still a need for resources and support for this youth The CASA Volunteer and Advocacy Specialist identified community resources that would provide this youth with the additional support and services needed. CASA was able to contact a local antitrafficking program, and together, CASA, CPS

and this program completed a CSE-IT Tool for this youth, which resulted in her having access to specific therapies tailored to her needs pertaining to risk

Our CASA Program also looks to the CASA Anti-Child Trafficking (CASA ACT) Program Guide developed by TX CASA and our very own board member, Rhonda Kuykendall This guide has been a valuable tool in providing guidance and education regarding how we can best advocate for this at-risk population

Furthermore, our CASA Program incorporates topics within our WINGS Summer Life Skills Program to raise awareness among teens and to help them learn risk factors, how to keep themselves safe from trafficking, and fostering healthy relationships

It takes a collaborative effort to ensure that families affected by or who are at risk of trafficking and sexual abuse are identified and receive education, resources and services Child Advocates of Fort Bend works toward this effort by providing a full array of services at our agency when needed and working alongside CPS and community organizations designed specifically to work with this vulnerable population

Healthy Teen Relationships

By Maxi Schultz

Relationship violence is a risk factor that can lead to sexual assault. While we as a society are beginning to normalize conversations about prevention, teen dating violence is an area where gaps are still present.

Our Children’s Advocacy Center and CASA program engage with teens who have experienced violence within their interpersonal and dating relationships. Sexual abuse statistics show that the offender is often someone that the victim knows; and taking that even deeper… it’s sometimes a person that the victim is in a relationship with. It’s important for healthy boundaries to be established by teens entering dating age to prevent the risk of dating violence and sexual assault.

Hearing a victim describe a sexual assault that occurred within a relationship where they had thought they were safe is heartbreaking and leads to risk factors and outcomes that stay with them throughout their adult life Prevention is crucial as is recognizing that it’s natural at this age to have sexual curiosity and exploration Fostering healthy teen relationships lays the groundwork and foundation for relationship dynamics moving forward into adulthood

THE ROLE OF AN ADULT

Adults play an important role in the lives of children that continues into their teen years and adulthood Sometimes it can be easy to forget how much teens are absorbing, especially in this stage of development where they are pulling away from caregivers and leaning more towards their peers. Here are three things to consider: Validate, Model, Communicate

Validate

Beginning around thirteen years old, it’s natural for youth to begin entering relationships It may be easy for parents or caregivers to view these first relationships as “silly” or “superficial” However, teenagers pick up on these views and can feel rejected and dismissed. Teen relationships matter…they feel it is significant and it’s important for adults to meet them where they are and acknowledge the relationship.

Model

Children specifically teens, are impressionable Modeling healthy relationship dynamics is critical in fostering an environment that encourages teenagers to adopt similar patterns to ensure safe and appropriate relationships.

Communicate

Teaching healthy boundaries and providing teens with the tools and confidence to implement them stems from good communication! Having open conversations with youth about how they feel and guiding them to a boundary that protects them can prevent them from getting into situations they are not ready for Here’s

LIGHT OF HOPE

On April 5th we hosted our annual Child Abuse Prevention Month kick off at Sugar Land Town Square. We featured 30 partner agencies representing all types of programs that work with children or families. Each one handed out information, resources and goodies to the community and we lit the entire place blue!

The Boy Scouts kicked us off by posting our colors, beautifully placing the American and Texas flags front and center. Our Board President, Eileen Akerson, gave our purpose of the evening… coming together to spread awareness and keeping children safe is all of our responsibilities. Our CEO, Ruthanne Mefford, told the story of how the blue ribbon came to be the National Awareness color for Child Abuse Prevention Month. A grandmother from Virginia in 1989 placed a blue ribbon on the antenna of her van and when asked about it, she shared the story of her grandchildren and the child abuse they suffered,

The Voices of Child Advocates of Fort Bend

ultimately leading to the death of her 3-year-old grandson From one woman and the awareness she began spreading in the midst of her grief, started a movement that today has become the countrywide Blue Ribbon Child Abuse Awareness

We had several elected officials from across the county stand and proclaim their unity in supporting all children who have been abused

At the end of the program, everyone in Sugar Land Town Square was asked turn on their blue lighted bracelets to light the night in blue and raise awareness for all children We are the light of hope for children who have been abused, that is our commitment Won’t you join us in our commitment to keep children safe?

see more photos

Won't you join us?

Gather your friends, family and co-workers and join us for this story tale evening full of fun and impactful messaging that makes a HUGE difference for children in Fort Bend!

To sponsor or for tickets visit our website or click here

We need your help! We need your help!

Be the organizer and invite your friends to attend!

Share our event on Social Media

Browse our Online Bidding site (live April 15)

Can’t make the Gala but interested in a Live Auction item?

Contact Tarina and we will make sure you have a chance to win!

Tsheridan@cafb.org

Aly Ferrante

CASA Program Director

monthly spotlights

updates on staff, therapy and MORE!

Aly Ferrante was recently promoted to CASA Program Director. Ferrante started at Child Advocates of Fort Bend in 2011 after graduating from Texas State University. She started in the Development Department as Development Coordinator, and then Grant Writer. In 2016 She transitioned to the CASA Program and held a number of roles including the WINGS Team Leader, Trauma and Wellbeing Advocacy Manager, Program Innovation Manager and has recently moved into the role as CASA Program Director. She was the first staff member of CAFB to be trained as a TBRI Practitioner in 2018. Aly is a native of Fort Bend County, where she resides with her husband and two children, and has dedicated her career to helping children and families in our community.

Are you interested in joining our team? We have openings. Click here for more information or to apply today.

Healing Trauma in Children and Families: The Power of Interventions

By Jheri Walters

Childhood trauma can have profound and lasting effects on mental health and well-being, impacting not only the individual but also the family unit. In addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the therapists at Child Advocates for Fort Bend are receiving training in two new promising interventions, Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

CFTSI is a brief, evidence-based early intervention designed to mitigate the effects of trauma on children and their families. Through psychoeducation, coping skills training, and family support, CFTSI aims to reduce symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and prevent long-term psychological distress. This is a brief intervention, shown to have results within 5-8 sessions.

EMDR, on the other hand, is a therapeutic approach that utilizes bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, to help individuals process distressing memories and alleviate associated symptoms. While initially developed for adults, EMDR has been adapted for use with children and adolescents, showing promising results in reducing trauma-related symptoms within 6-12 sessions and improving overall functioning.

Both CFTSI and EMDR emphasize the importance of addressing trauma early and providing comprehensive support to children and families. By equipping individuals with effective coping strategies and facilitating the processing of traumatic memories, these interventions pave the way for healing and resilience, promoting brighter futures for those impacted by trauma.

By Sue Profilet

The Child Abuse Prevention Collaborative (CAP-C) initiative focuses on the prevention and early intervention of child abuse

Monthly meetings are held at CAFB with 25 partner organizations from across Fort Bend County Recent panel presentations during the meetings have discussed human trafficking awareness, teen dating violence, and child safety from birth to age five Also, as part of the initiative, CAP-C members from these agencies are currently pulling together many resources, including information, links to websites, articles, tip sheets, and tools to use for child abuse prevention The next step is to create a Resource Library website which will contain this useful and expert content The information will be used by providers to share with their clients and coworkers

Currently, we are holding focus groups and interviews with stakeholders to understand the problem of child abuse from their perspective and learn more about what could be done to prevent it These stakeholders include a wide variety of community members This includes child abuse survivors,

parents whose children may have been abused, outcry witnesses including school and medical personnel, professionals who work in the field of child welfare, and high school students As a result of these interviews, the stakeholders are informing us about what information and resources would have been helpful to them

After the interviews with stakeholders have been completed, we will develop creative solutions to meet the needs identified We will create a Prevention Intervention Plan with uniform safety messaging delivered in different formats (social media, in person, print, video, app) for parents and children This will be followed by prototyping, implementing, and evaluating the solution

Our aim is to prototype this program in one school and measure its effect Following this, the plan is to expand the CAP-C initiative across schools, districts and the county

Follow along with us as this initiative hopefully changes the way we view prevention and early intervention of child abuse

Talking Trauma-Informed Care

By Dana Mersiovsky

Each year, we look forward to hosting our annual Trauma Informed Care Conference. On March 22, the Rosemberg Civic Center was filled with child welfare workers, educators, medical professionals, community members and others who have an interest in learning about Trauma Informed Care. We kicked off the conference with Monica Alzate, PhD, LCSW, from Baylor College of Medicine presenting, “What Does Trauma Look Like and Understanding it’s Impact.”

DID YOU KNOW?

A person with 6 or more ACE’s is 20% more likely to live 20 years less than others?

We also learned about “Trauma Informed Care in the Classroom” from Anne McHale Miller, LCSW with Katy ISD. Anne is the Coordinator of Social Work, Mental Health and Crisis Intervention for Katy ISD. She is passionate about de-stigmatizing mental health, the social work profession and supporting children, families and staff.

DID YOU KNOW?

Creating Courageous Classrooms - ALL human beings need these four things to be emotionally well: Belonging: connections and a sense of belonging fosters wanting to learn. Mastery: kids need to feel success to build selfconfidence. Independence: if kids don’t have independence, they either have no exposure or have been forced to be independent too young. Generosity: Generosity needs to be modeled –we must put them in places to learn it. Stressed brains can't learn.

Our very own CAC Clinical Director, Jheri Walters, LCSW-S, gave an informative presentation on “Exploring Implicit Bias and Trauma-Informed Care.” Jheri’s interactive presentation gave us all a reminder of the

importance of understanding the effects that implicit bias has on us individually and in the work we do.

DID YOU KNOW?

The unconscious brain processes information 200 , 000 times faster than your conscious mind. We rely on implicit processes to fill in the gaps. Implicit bias is learning over time , so we can unlearn it over time.

We closed our conference with Christa Mayfield of GoodSustained. Christa offered attendees the opportunity to be still in the moment, to reflect on the good work they are doing and the why behind it and empowered attendees to remember the importance of “Taking Care of You.”

FRIENDS Spring Fling

FRIENDS is an auxiliary volunteer group supporting Child Advocates of Fort Bend (CAFB) On April 4th they hosted their annual membership social at the beautiful home of Diane and Roger Schomburg in Sugar Creek. In addition to socializing and hors d-oeuvres, guests enjoyed piano medleys from Billy Marberry and a presentation from Enchanted Forest on which hearty spring plants bode well in the gardensinthisregion.

FRIENDS Special Needs Fund underwrites the needs of children in the foster care system that CAFB and other providers are unable to offer – items that most people take for granted The fund has underwritten backpacks filled with school supplies, summer camp tuition, tutoring, caps and gownsforgraduatingseniorsandcomputers for college students. FRIENDS has more than 100 members and is managed by a Council which provides volunteer opportunities and social events throughout the year Annual membership dues are $40 peryear.Membershipisopentoanyone.

Visitwww.cafb.orgtojoinorlearnmore

Thelanguageandtermscommonlyused whendiscussingaPlannedGiftcanprompt lotsofquestionsandconfusionWeoften heartheterm-“Bequest”But,whatdoesthat exactlymean?

“Abequestisagiftfromyourestatea transferofcash,securities,orpropertymade throughyourestateplans.Youcanmakea bequesttoChildAdvocatesofFortBendby includinglanguageinyourwillorlivingtrust leavingaportionofyourestatetoCAFB,or bydesignatingCAFBasabeneficiaryof yourretirementaccountorlifeinsurance policy”

RememberingChildAdvocatesofFortBend withabequestfromyourestatewillhelp

sustain and strengthen CAFB for years to come. Some of the advantages of creating a bequest include:

A bequest costs nothing now, yet gives you the satisfaction of knowing you have provided for the children of Fort Bend in the future

You retain control of and use of your assets during your lifetime

You may modify your bequest if your circumstances change

Gifts to CAFB from your estate are exempt from federal estate taxes

If you let CAFB know of your estates plans, we will be able to thank you now and recognize you as a member of the “Forever Angels Legacy Society.”

We are here to help discuss ideas for creating a legacy gift that would be meaningful to you and your family Please go to CAFB.org for more information or contact plannedgiving@cafb.org. We hope you will consider becoming a “Forever Angel” to let your legacy become their future

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Cynthia Barratt

Current CAFB board member and past-president, Cynthia Barratt , says it was easy for her and husband , Nat , to chose to become “Forever Angels”

“Nat and I have personally watched over ten years the profound changes that can come about when a child has this agency protecting his or her best interests Lives are forever changed Unfortunately, there are more children who will need these services in the future We have been blessed and we want to be a blessing and help to heal the hurt of the innocent”

The Voices of Child Advocates of Fort Bend

our needs

Thismonth,wehaveimmediateneedfor:

SmallSprayBottlesforourTherapyDept. clickheretoseewhichones

Inaddition,weneedthefollowing:

20goodybags(drawstringbackpackswith fidgets,notebook,pen,snacks,etc)

ByMay22forSpringIncentiveParty

$20giftcardsforhighschoolgrads!(Visas, Walmart,Amazon,Target)

ByJune12forWINGSGradEvent

10copiesof“OhthePlacesYou’llGo”ByDr. SeussforourHSgrads

ByJune12forWINGSGradEvent

20regulationbags(drawstringbackpacks withfidgets,notebook,pen,snacks,etc)

ByJune19forWINGSCampusCrawl

20regulationbags(drawstringbackpacks withfidgets,notebook,pen,snacks,etc)

ByJuly3forWINGSLifeskills

20regulationbags(drawstringbackpacks withfidgets,notebook,pen,snacks,etc)

ByJuly24forNESTSummerProgram

Additionalitemscanbefoundonour WISHLIST

save these dates

April 9, 2024

TBRI Overview 10am - 4pm

Gus George Law Enforcement Academy

April 23, 2024

TBRI Empowering 10am - 4pm

Gus George Law Enforcement Academy

April 17, 2024

DFPS Walk for Children

10am - 1pm

Long Acres Ranch

April 27, 2024

Once Upon a Time Gala 6pm - 11pm

Sugar Land Marriott Town Square

April 30, 2024

Darkness to Light Training 10am - 1pm

Child Advocates of Fort Bend Office

April 30, 2024

Sip & Stroll 9:30am - 11am

Contact Lisa at LMoore@cafb.org to reserve your spot

“The more light we shine on child sexual abuse,

“The more light we shine on child sexual abuse, the less shadows there are for abusers to hide in.” the less shadows there are for abusers to hide in.”

- Sarah (survivor of childhood sexual abuse)

- Sarah (survivor of childhood sexual abuse)