San Luis Obispo Child Abuse Prevention Council changes name to Center for Family Strengthening

San Luis Obispo Child Abuse Prevention Council (SLO-CAP) announced this week a new name and logo to reflect its core programs for the prevention of child abuse. Its new name is the Center for Family Strengthening. The organization will continue to partner with family support organizations in SLO County to ensure that strong families are a community priority. The new name change with logo is effective immediately.

“Child abuse is preventable by strengthening families and fostering healthy development of children…” said Lisa Fraser, Executive Director of Center for Family Strengthening. “Our new name reflects this family strengthening approach for the prevention of child abuse.”

The new name was adopted by a 13-member committee whose members are intimately involved with SLO-CAP, experienced in community social service and are leaders in the San Luis Obispo County community.

The Center for Family Strengthening partners closely with Family Resource Center agencies as they connect to families in the community. The agencies are trained to recognize the absence of any one of the Five Protective Factors in a family, which may cause significant stress and trigger potential abuse. The Five Protective Factors are parental resilience; social connection; knowledge of parenting and child development; concrete support in times of need; and children’s social and emotional development.

The center has established educational programs and services that strengthen the family and address these protective factors in an effort to get the family back on track and prevent abuse. Parental resilience, for example was the factor missing in 26-year-old Vivien’s life as she dealt with postpartum depression and the threat of physically harming her new born baby. After the birth of her second child, Vivien did not feel well. She wasn’t herself and did not know why. After all, she was strong and physically well, yet did not feel well. She couldn’t sleep, was severely depressed and struggled to get out bed in the morning. Vivien said, “My days were like nightmares. I cried when the baby cried. There was a cloud over me. I was in a fog. I was afraid I would do something to hurt my baby.”

Vivien called Parent Connection, one of the Center for Family Strengthening’s programs offered families in need. Within the hour, a Parent Connection counselor met Vivien and provided the much needed emotional support and counseling. Yes, Vivien was struggling with postpartum depression, a condition that affects many new mothers. Vivien had no parental resilience.

Emotional support and counseling are critical for the mother’s and baby’s wellbeing. The Center for Family Strengthening provided Vivien with the bridge to getting well and keeping her baby safe. Vivien was referred to an agency that provides treatment and counseling and is currently enrolled in Parenting Classes offered through the Center. She and her new baby are doing well and are back on track.

Programs offered by the center

Programs currently being offered by the Center for Family Strengthening are:

1. Parent Connection offers parenting skills classes and coaching services with expert parent educators
2. Postpartum Depression Support Services provides emotional support and treatment referral for pregnant and postpartum women.
3. Kidz Personal Safety Tool Box teaches school-age children protective skills
4. Beginnings instructs the community about the impact of prenatal substance abuse on the developing child
5. Mandated reporter of suspected child abuse training educates the community on Child Abuse Reporting Laws.
6. Promotores Collaborative is a team of Spanish-speaking residents that work with Center for Family Strengthening to build healthy communities.
7. Partnership for Excellence in Family Support (PEFS) is the county-wide network of Family Resource Centers committed to providing families with high quality services and opportunities to thrive.

The design of the new logo

The new logo represents family strength in an abstract Matisse-stylized art form with movement to create community connection to the family and brilliant colors to convey compassion, passion, and leadership. This powerful design is the creation of Paul Curtin, a noted San Francisco Creative Director. Curtin’s intention was to design the logo as a piece of original art to communicate the core value of strengthening families and to be used in all forms of communications by the Center for Family Strengthening such as the website, video, letters to the community as well as posters and notecards. Notecards bearing the Matisse-styled logo will be sold to raise money for the Center’s child abuse prevention programs.

About Center for Family Strengthening (formerly SLO-CAP)

In 1988 the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors designated Center for Family Strengthening as the self-governing entity responsible for local efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. The Center is dedicated to strengthening families through education and advocacy. It partners with family support organizations in SLO County to provide resources to families in need, protect children from abuse and neglect, and ensure that strong families are a community priority. To donate or learn more about Center for Family Strengthening call (805) 543-6216.