Community Child Abuse Prevention Plan Update Presented to Cumberland County Board of Commissioners by SOAR Community Coalition

In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Strengths in Overcoming Adversity thru Resiliency (SOAR) Community Coalition presented an update regarding the Community Child Abuse Prevention Plan to the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on April 5, 2021.

Updates around ongoing SOAR programs are as follows:

• Grants received for Family Connects in the amounts of $250,000 for 1^st and 2^nd years (with a 3^rd year possible at $1,000,000) to begin delivering services for newborn home visits in Cumberland, Hoke and Robeson Counties following birth at Cape Fear Valley Hospital, beginning July 2021.
• Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) started and staffed at Cumberland County Health Department.
• Connections Matter Trainings: 6 trainings with a total of 163 in attendance.
• Parent Café’s: 13 Parent Café’s with a total of 176 in attendance.
• Resolutions of Support signed by:  2,166 individuals and 53 agencies.

Updates on the pre-pandemic impact of SOAR are as follows:

• Resilience Documentary shown 118 times to 3,439 people
• Paper Tiger Documentary shown 4 times to 165 people
• Protective Factor’s Training provided 11 times to 208 people

Goals presented for the upcoming year are as follows:

• Community Engagement Committee
  • Develop communication briefs by means of videos to share the work of SOAR with the community.
  • Discover ways to promote awareness and education in our community by partnering with local media outlets to broaden the scope of messaging.
• Data and Research Team
  • Prepare and disseminate a quarterly report with a tool like Survey Monkey to collect data.
  • Reach consensus on key metrics of child abuse and neglect for Cumberland County, and request that specific data from Department of Social Services for quarterly reporting to SOAR.
• Parent Engagement Committee
  • Offer two monthly trainings, either Connections Matter or Parent Café’s, one during the day and one at night.
  • Recruit and train others who have experienced one of the workshops to support SOAR efforts and assist in planning and leading workshops.

# # #

---

About SOAR

SOAR is a community coalition consisting of 30+ collaborative agencies in Cumberland County that provide leadership, education, and support to the community on child abuse prevention. The coalition is divided into three sub-committees: Community Engagement, Data Research Team (DART) and Parent Engagement. The plan provides a guiding framework and an overview of child maltreatment as a public health concern and opportunities for improving prevention efforts. Most important, as a living document, it provides a shared vision, strategic goals, and strategic objectives to guide prevention efforts in Cumberland County. SOAR continues to look at tangible ways we can invest in our community to help promote safe and nurturing environments for our children to grow up in. Children deserve to live in stable, loving and stimulating environments both at home, at school, in their faith communities as well as the community at large.

We encourage you to find ways you can support children and families in our community. Contact your local schools to see what needs they may have for their students. To learn more, contact the Child Advocacy Center (910.486.9700) or Cumberland County Partnership for Children (910.867.9700) or Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina Preventchildabusenc.org

About the Child Advocacy Center
A Place of Healing and Hope: Joining hands with 19 community agencies, the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) offers a safe and child-friendly location to interview, investigate and provide support for abused children. The CAC also provides prevention education for parents, professionals and agencies in our community. We look to a future where all children live in a safe and nurturing environment free from abuse.
CACFayNC.org

About the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County
At the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County, we focus on support for families with children birth to 5 years old. Since 1993, we have provided services and programs that advance children’s well-being, strengthen the early care and education system in our community, and empower families. Our vision is to live in an economically prosperous community where families are successful, and children thrive.
CCPFC.org

About Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina
Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina (PCANC) is the leading statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect. Through collaboration with partners across North Carolina, PCANC ensures that prevention is a priority for North Carolina and all communities have the knowledge, support and resources to prevent child abuse and neglect. PCANC is the North Carolina chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America and is a proud recipient of both Charity Navigator’s prestigious 4-star rating and GuideStar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency. For more information contact Kris Demers, Communications Manager, at (919) 829-8009, ext. 619 or [email protected]

---

Media Contacts: