from the ceo

We've been busy and have so much to share with you this month

Happy Spring!

With gardens coming alive with new blooms and the end of the school year just a few weeks away, Spring is a time of new beginnings. At Child Advocates of Fort Bend, we have so much to share with you in this issue of VOICES – new staff members, new roles, a new class of CASA/CAC Volunteers and new training offerings to keep you up to date on the latest learnings in the field of child abuse awareness and treatment. This month, we are celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month as well as National Foster Care Month. The two are intertwined in many ways so let me start off with sharing some statistics.

First, let’s look at the children served by CASA. Of the nearly 400,000 children and youth in foster care in the US, up to 80% of children in foster care have significant mental health issues, compared with approximately 18% – 22% of the general population. Because of the complex traumas faced by children and youth in foster care, foster alumni experience posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a rate nearly five times higher than the general adult population. Yet mental and behavioral health is the largest unmet health need for these children and teens. In terms of treatment, youth in foster care are prescribed psychotropic medications at a much higher rate (13% – 52%) than youth in the general population (4%) and may stay on these medications for long periods of time which can exacerbate their symptoms.

Second, let’s look at children who have experienced sexual abuse. These children are served by our CAC. The impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on early brain development is well established. The period from birth to adulthood is one of intense brain development, wiring and rewiring. CSA has been shown to result in changes in the hippocampus, amygdala, pre-frontal cortex and corpus callosum. These neurological changes may in turn result in behavioral, continued next page psychological and physical diagnoses. Studies have found that 78% of women and 82% of men who reported CSA met diagnostic criteria for at least one lifetime psychiatric disorder. In a recent metaanalysis with over 3.1 million participants around the world, there was a significant association between CSA and a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, PTSD, sleep disorders and suicide attempts. Numerous studies show that at any given time, 20% - 40% of psychiatric patients carry with them a history and burden of CSA. Patients reporting a history of CSA were significantly more likely to have attempted suicide than those with no such history. In addition, there was also an association between CSA and medical symptoms including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, gastrointestinal disorders and seizures.

But there is help. And this is where Child Advocates of Fort Bend comes in.

For children in foster care, investing in culturally appropriate mental health supports that recognize an individual’s identity, culture and lived experience may improve the effectiveness of services and supports and improve long-term outcomes. The ability to meaningfully address the mental health needs of children in foster care requires a holistic approach that focuses broadly on their well-being within the context of family, home, school, work and community. Stable, nurturing placements have positive impacts on children and youth’s resilience and long-term wellbeing.

Maintaining relationships with relatives and kin can increase stability, reduce trauma and help children maintain a sense of family, belonging and identity. Our Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) and focus on family connections and placements have demonstrated that children who have experienced abuse can overcome the traditional negative outcomes and go on to live healthy, productive lives.

For children who have experienced CSA, the research shows that early disclosure of the abuse by children and early therapeutic intervention can increase brain plasticity and can mask the effects of trauma on the hippocampus and prevent further neuronal damage. Our mental health and therapy program is highly specialized to address these needs by using evidence-based trauma therapies so that children recover and heal. There are many stories and examples inside this month’s newsletter of the people and approaches we are using at Child Advocates of Fort Bend to help children thrive. Enjoy your reading and thank you as always for your continuing support.

For the Children's Sake,

Ruthanne Mefford, CEO