Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Dine Out Thursday! Fight AIDS!

Thursday is Dining Out for Life for AIDS Project RI, a division of Family Service of RI

Here is the list of participating restaurants donating a portion of the day's proceeds.  Pick a restaurant, bring your friends and help in the fight against HIV/AIDS!

Below is an interview with AIDS Project RI executive director Tom Bertrand on Channel 10 about the event. News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England

Friday, April 19, 2013

WPRO Radio Interview: Speaking with Children After Boston Marathon Tragedy

Family Service of RI's Sarah Kelly-Palmer LICSW was interviewed by radio station WPRO News Talk 630/99.7 on its morning show regarding speaking with children in the wake of the Boston Marathon tragedy.

Sarah helps run Family Service of RI's child trauma center. Family Service of RI is the Rhode Island site for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Listen here.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Speaking with Children in the Wake of the Boston Marathon Tragedy

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Boston in the wake of today's terrible events at the Boston Marathon.

Family Service of Rhode Island is the National Child Traumatic Stress Network site in Rhode Island, and offers guidance for speaking with children after community tragedies to minimize their trauma.

Please click here.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Improving Services for Traumatized Children

Rhode Island has kicked off its efforts to transform social services across the state to being “trauma informed.”

 “Abuse, neglect, crime, violence; these are common in the personal histories of the children being served at social service agencies across the state,” said Janice DeFrances, Ed.D., director of the Rhode Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). “This new effort will provide care-givers the knowledge and skills to approach care with this in mind and will help us assess our current practices and develop more responsive systems.”

Rhode Island is one of only six areas in the nation chosen to participate in a federally funded project led by San Diego’s Chadwick Center for Children and Families. The goal of the project is to transform child welfare organizations so their services recognize the role trauma plays in the lives of children and families in their care.

 “We chose Rhode Island because of the leadership of Family Service of RI and DCYF on child trauma issues, not only in the Northeast but across the nation,” said Lisa Conradi, Psy.D. of the Chadwick Center. 

Dr. Conradi will oversee the project, which also includes two counties in California, and counties in Florida, Oklahoma and Minnesota. Rhode Island’s is the only statewide effort.

 “This will build on the work we started nearly a decade ago when we developed a partnership with the Providence police department to respond 24/7 to children at scenes of crime and violence,” said Margaret Holland McDuff, Family Service of RI CEO.

Margaret Holland McDuff
CEO, Family Service of RI
 Family Service of RI, DCYF and Providence police department staff have presented the “Rhode Island Model” at a number of national gatherings. The model includes a 24/7 response to children and families exposed to trauma; a focus on prevention and early intervention; and strong partnerships with police departments.

 Recently Family Service of RI was awarded a $1.6 million federal grant to reduce the impact of trauma on the state’s children, with a priority on military families.

“This new project with the Chadwick Center will be integrated into that grant’s efforts,” said Susan Erstling, Ph.D., who heads Family Service of RI’s child trauma center.

 Steps to be followed in the months ahead include:

 • a community assessment of the trauma-informed nature of the state’s child welfare system;

 • development of a “Supercommunity Trauma-Informed Implementation Plan”;

 • technical assistance and training to implement the plan.

 Hundreds of staff from government and non-profits from across the state are slated to participate.

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

Monday, April 01, 2013

Good Luck to the Boston Red Sox and the PawSox!

Best wishes to Family Service of RI's 2006 Brighter Futures Award recipients, the Boston Red Sox and the Pawtucket Red Sox, as they kick off their seasons this week.

The Boston Red Sox are at the Yankees today, and the PawSox at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Thursday.

We have many fond memories of the 2006 event, and remember the late Ben Mondor, who is featured in one of the event's photos.

See more by clicking here.