The Children’s Advocate
Winter 2018 Newsletter
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It is with great pleasure that the Los Angeles County Community Child Abuse Councils release our Winter 2018 newsletter! Please see below for information about the wonderful community based work of the Councils in 2018, and as always, please feel free to contact me and/or your Council of interest for more information and to get involved!
Warmest regards,
Sara La Croix, MSW/MPA
LAC-Community Child Abuse Council Coordinator with Children’s Bureau
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Advocacy Council for Abused Deaf Children (ACADC)
The ACADC, established in 1991 to systemically address maltreatment among Deaf children, is a collaborative effort comprised of many community agencies that serve the Deaf population. Our efforts are based in education, service, resources, and community involvement to best serve the Deaf Community. The goal of the Advocacy Council for Abused Deaf Children (ACADC) is to prevent abuse and promote the development of appropriate and quality treatment resources for families with a Deaf member within Los Angeles County. This goal can only be accomplished by creating a network of service providers and agencies who are culturally and linguistically sensitive and knowledgeable of the community in which the Council serves. ACADC is committed to providing advocacy and quality services to the Deaf Community.
As a part of this commitment, in April of 2018, we hosted our 1
st
annual workshop entitled "See Something, Say Something: Recognizing Trauma in Deaf Children." This workshop (tailored for professionals) provided insightful information on how to respond to trauma specifically for Deaf children. The workshop received such a positive response, that the ACADC is committed to providing this as an annual event while also extending the event for 2 days. Our next workshop will be help in April 2019 and we are excited to be able to expand. Keep an eye out for more information coming soon!
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Asian & Pacific Islander, Children, Youth and Family Council (API- CYFC)
In the Fall of 2018, The Asian Pacific Islander Children, Youth, and Family Council (API-CYFC) centered efforts around promoting a public awareness campaign with APCTC that focused on the dangers of leaving children unattended in vehicles. The Public Service Announcement (PSA) informs Chinese speaking as well as other parents, caregivers, and the general public about the dangers of leaving children unattended in cars. The PSA has been broadcasted on various Asian media outlets including TV, radio, popular magazines, and social media. Our hope is to significantly reduce risk and injury to children particularly in the summer months when weather temperatures are at their highest and children are at greatest risk for injury or death. To view the PSA, please visit
https://youtu.be/UQ7accIkkrk
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LAC-Family, Children, Community Advisory Council
(African American Council)
The Los Angeles County-Family, Children, Community, Advisory Council (LAC-FCCAC) has continued partner with Elevate Your G.A.M.E., specifically their Mentoring Thru Music Program. Elevate Your G.A.M.E. mentors 9th-12th graders in 9 high schools: Cabrillo High, Centennial High School, Compton High, Crenshaw High, Dominguez High, Harbor Teacher Preparatory, Frederick Douglas Academy, Long Beach Academy, View Park Preparatory, and students in the Northpointe Apartments in the City of Long Beach.
Over 1,600 students have been mentored since the program's inception in 2002, and they have a 95% graduation rate. Their students have received scholarships and have been accepted to universities across the United States, examples are; UCLA, Tuskegee, Xavier, Pepperdine, UC Berkley, and Biola. The Mentoring Thru Music Program starts a conversation with youth using music videos and/or songs. Elevate Your G.A.M.E. have created 13 songs with curriculum that anyone can access through their website (www.elevateyourgame.org).
In April of 2018, the LAC-FCCAC also hosted an annual conference on the "Resilience of Children, Families, and Communities” at Calvary Chapel Christian Church, 4528 Crenshaw Blvd. in Los Angeles. The speakers were Ruth Beaglehole, Founder of Echo Parenting & Education and Jeanette Yoffe, Executive Director of Yoffe Therapy.
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LGBT Child Abuse Prevention Council
For the 10
th
year in a row, the LGBT Child Abuse Prevention Council has planned and coordinated the annual Embracing Diversity of LGBTQ Youth (E.D.G.Y.) Conference with Penny Lane. The conference increases knowledge and awareness of the needs of LGBTQ Youth and families, and empowers all professionals to support the LGBTQ community through an array of workshops, services and resources. This year, the conference was held on November 9, 2018 at the Skirball Center. As it has done annually, the LGBT Council sponsored 40 professional scholarships which will target social service providers, mental health professionals, law enforcement, probation, legal service providers for children, and educators who otherwise could not attend.
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Other Updates
Welcome to the Team!
This year, Serena Chau will be joining the LACCCAC. Serena is currently a second-year Master of Social Work student at USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and an intern at Children's Bureau of Southern California in the Prevention Department. She is interested in pursuing macro-social work and learning how programs and policies are developed and implemented. She will be assisting the Councils with events and projects throughout 2018 and 2019.
Report Card Insert Project
In October 2018, the LACCCAC participated in its 20th year of the Report Card Insert (RCI) Project. The RCI Project is a countywide effort to prevent child abuse around report card time. Past research found that incidences of child abuse increased when children brought home report cards that were deemed as inadequate by caregivers. The inserts are a brief and simple one-page communication tool that lists positive ways for caregivers to respond to their child about school performance. This Fall, the Councils gathered feedback from former RCI recipients to improve the project, and sent out the RCI packets to 85 school districts throughout Los Angeles County.
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Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Scroll
In April of 2018, the Los Angeles County Community Child Abuse Councils were honored to receive a scroll from the LA County Board of Supervisors acknowledging the hard work of the Councils to protect vulnerable children and families.
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On June 5, 2018, the Council Chairs and members had a chance to visit Moonshadow Ranch in Sunland, CA for a special workshop entitled "Healing Ourselves to Continue Healing Others: Equine Assisted Self-Care." In partnership with Special Spirit, we had a fabulous day with trained therapy horses in the beauty and quiet of a more rural environment. Thank you to everyone who participated and made this a great day for the group!
Gender Fairy Tales, Domestic Violence, &
Transformational Leadership Training with
Alyce LaViolette MS, MFT
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On June 18th, Alyce LaViolette provided a wonderful and informative training to the Child Abuse Council Chairs and members at Magnolia Place Family Center. Ms. LaViolette has worked with the issues of gender and power over the last 39 years and speaks on sexual harassment as well as other gender issues. Ms. LaViolette has worked with private clients who have suffered sexual harassment and hostile work environments. She has spoken on bullying and other relationships that involve imbalances in power. In addition, she has worked with battered women since 1978, first as an advocate at
Women Shelter
in Long Beach and then in private practice. Thank you Alyce for a fabulous day!
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NEXUS XXIII Conference
On Wednesday, November 14, 2018, the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN) and ICAN Associates hosted its 23rd annual Nexus Conference at the Sheraton Universal Hotel. This year's topic was: Violence within the Home and its Effect on Children. With an abundance of speakers and workshops, the Nexus Conference offers unique and innovative training for professionals, child advocates, and students. Members of the LACCCAC attended this year's Nexus Conference to promote awareness of the councils and its projects.
For more information, visit http://www.ican-events.com/
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Thank You Strategies 2.0!
The LACCCAC would like to acknowledge Strategies 2.0 for providing the councils with free training opportunities. In December, Strategies 2.0 trained Council members on "Building Community Resilience"
and th
e relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adverse Community Environments.
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Need
FREE
Community Friendly Child Abuse Prevention
Materials in Multiple Languages?
Materials Available Include:
“Daily Acts of Kindness Towards Children” Calendars
“Guide to Positive Parenting” Booklets
“California Mandated Reporting, Easy Steps…” Pamphlet
“It only takes a minute to brighten a child’s life” Bookmarks
“Together We stand Up Against Bullying!” Pamphlet
Please contact Sara La Croix for more information at:
Want more information about a Council? Contact Us!
Asian and Pacific Islander Children, Youth and Family Council
:
Nina Y. Loc (213) 808-1720
Nayon Kang (213) 365-7400
Deborah Davies (818) 988-4430
Eastside Child Abuse Prevention Council
:
Connie Preciado-Gonzalez (626) 442-1400 ext. 202
Mark Abelson (323) 646-2419
Sandra Guine (310) 327-9294
San Gabriel Valley Child Abuse Prevention Council
:
SPA 7 Child Abuse Council
:
Norma Yoquez (562) 777-1410 x112
Maria Duarte (562) 777-201-1008
*Funding for the Los Angeles County Community Child Abuse Councils is made possible through a grant from the
Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services*
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Mailing Address:
LACCCAC C/O Sara La Croix
Children's Bureau
1910 Magnolia Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90007
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