Children's Trust

A year of growth

An effective organization starts with solid foundation, and this past year’s achievements paved the way for the Children’s Trust to be South Carolina’s lead organization for the prevention of child abuse, neglect and unintentional injuries.

The Children’s Trust is a strong organization and has very capable and committed partners. The leadership has a clear vision of the mission of the Children’s Trust, and the staff is very talented and dedicated. We also have sound fiscal policies in place to support our continued success that began in 2008.

Some highlights of this year’s accomplishments are listed below:

Chandler’s Law. Advocated the enactment of Chandler’s Law that is an entry to optimal safety and protection for all children who operate and ride all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). This legislation signed into law establishes safety training and equipment requirements for riders under the age of 16 operating ATVs.

2011 Prevention Conference. Held a multi-day conference focusing on the prevention of child maltreatment with attendance exceeding 250 parents and professionals.

Five Protective Factors. Developed skills-based trainings for public service professionals, private providers and parents using the foundational five protective factors. When these protective factors are present for families and communities, research tells us the incidence of child abuse and neglect will be lower.

Evidence-Based Home Visiting Summit. Collaborated with 85 professionals to learn more about available resources and best practices in the evidence-based home visiting area.

Safe Kids South Carolina. Delivered technical assistance to Safe Kids coalition members such as child passenger safety, safe sleep and fire safety. Produced and distributed the annual safety calendar to 110,000 youth and families.

Parent Information Resource Centers. Completed a five-year grant for the Parent Information Resource Centers designed to improve student academic performance by increasing parental involvement.

Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Developed comprehensive work plans for the first and second year implementation of the program per the approved Federal grant guidelines.

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Grants. Redesigned the competitive process to offer multi-year funding and to focus impact through parent education and support as well as home visitation.

We hear the ever-increasing and unified message about safety and abuse prevention for children, and it is because of that message we will forge ahead with our mission and vision that every child will grow up in a safe, loving and stable family.