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The problem of child abuse and neglect has challenged the Midlands community for decades.  Child abuse and neglect cut across all socioeconomic, religious, racial and ethnic spectrums.  We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to address the effects of child abuse and neglect rather than focus resources and attention on prevention.

Please consider the following statistics:

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2005 Kids Count Report ranks South Carolina 47th among 50 states on indicators of child well-being-down from 45th in 2003.  The Midlands area ranks less favorably than other parts of the state along those same indicators.  For example, in 2004, the percent of births to single mothers under the age of 20 in South Carolina was 82.8%.  In the Midlands area, the percent of births to young, single mothers was 92.3%.  In families headed by a teen mother, the risk of abuse and neglect is considerably higher.  Teen parents simply have not acquired the skills needed to successfully parent their children.

It is clear there is much work to do in the Midlands area to raise awareness about issues of child abuse and neglect, to teach parents how to be nurturing and loving caregivers, and to work with at-risk families to prevent further incidences of abuse and neglect. 

ParentingPartners has a long, rich history of child abuse prevention. The organization was founded in 1975 as the Richland County Coordinating Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.  In 1998, the Coordinating Council affiliated with Prevent Child Abuse America and become Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina (PCASC).  Over the next eight (8) years, the organization evolved into a statewide network of organizations and individuals committed to ending child abuse in South Carolina.  Early in 2005, PCASC's Board of Directors, in collaboration with state network affiliates, made a critical decision to separate the State office from the Midlands Region direct services affiliate.   The state office, PCASC, no longer manages direct-services programs.  Their efforts will be focused on advocacy, research, public education and training statewide.  The new entity, ParentingPartners was officially incorporated July 1, 2005 to continue, and grow, direct-services programs in the Midlands region including Calhoun, Fairfield, Lee, Lexington, Newberry, Orangeburg, Richland and Sumter counties. 

The separation of Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina from the Midlands affiliate positions ParentingPartners to be recognized locally as the leader in parenting education programs.  ParentingPartners is well respected in the community for the strength and effectiveness of our programs.  But, as a new entity, ParentingPartners also dedicates considerable energy and resources needed to develop organizational capacity and long-term sustainability.     

Child maltreatment includes physical abuse, child neglect and sexual abuse.  Physical abuse is defined as bodily injury to a child resulting in skin bruising, bleeding, burns, bone fractures, bleeding within the skull, soft tissue swelling, failure to thrive, malnutrition, or death, when the injury is not otherwise justifiably explained.

A neglected child is one without proper prenatal care, and/or who lacks subsistence, education, medical or other care necessary for the child's well being due to the conduct or omission of the parents or guardian.

Parent Aide is a home visitation program for high-risk families with a documented history of abuse or neglect.  Family support professionals work directly with mothers and/or fathers helping them become nurturing parents with positive parenting skills.  In 2005, Parent Aides delivered over 11,517 hours of service to 266 parents and 467 children.  The program assessed and opened 84 new cases where there was at least one report of abuse or neglect.  Of the parents who complete the program, over 80% met their stated goals and objectives by demonstrating greater knowledge of parent-child interaction and implementing a safety plan in their home to reduce the risk of future abuse and neglect.   Parents indicated that they were able to learn and practice new parenting and life skills techniques as alternatives for resolving conflict and/or disciplining children. 

The Midlands Effective Parenting Partnership is a collaborative program that wraps an array of services around at-risk families who have multiple and complex issues including child abuse, domestic violence, behavioral health issues and substance abuse.  Funded by United Way of the Midlands, ParentingPartners coordinates services with The Nurturing Center, Sistercare and LRADAC to provide an intensive, holistic approach to meeting target families' needs while insuring that children are protected from abuse and live in a nurturing, loving environment.

ParentingPartners provides training to local professionals and paraprofessionals on issues of child abuse and neglect.  Training topics include identifying the signs of abuse and trauma, conducting interviews with children and conducting safe home visits.  ParentingPartners regularly partners with other local service agencies to make the Midlands region a safer, more nurturing place for children.

ParentingPartners is, and will continue to be, a good steward of our resources.  We are a lean organization. We spend less than 17% of our resources on the management and administration of our programs. 

We plan to turn heads, change minds, get people talking and become a part of the        community dialogue through a major public awareness campaign.  We will show, for the first time ever, what it is like through a child's eyes to be ignored, hurt, scared, insulted, and alone.  We will show how everyday parents resist maltreatment urges and turn around the tendency to be mean.  Parents will discover the rewarding potential of positive, loving parenting.

We will be introducing more layers to our hallmark programs:  Parent Aides and Parent Education.  We plan to hire clinicians to offer in-home family therapy.  We believe that, by adding this layer to our existing programs, positive family outcomes will be more sustainable over the long term.  Our goal is to teach kind, empathetic, predictable        parenting where parents learn to express affection while building skills needed to provide discipline versus punishment.  Parents will learn the beauty and strength in putting children's needs first.  Parenting styles and choices are complex, rooted in family history and are often difficult to change.  It takes a brave agency to tackle these critical issues.  That agency is ParentingPartners. 

We have a fabulous staff.  But, in order to reach our goals, our staff must receive frequent training on the latest and most efficacious approaches in working directly and effectively with parents who are mistreating their children.  Our staff needs competitive pay, reliable        technology, office supplies, adequate working space and appropriate caseloads.  We need        funding to assist us in maintaining our excellent staff and recruiting the next level of professionals who will share our vision and help us meet our goals.

We are committed to the development of, and adherence to, measurable outcomes.  We do not shy away from being held accountable by funders, private donors, clients, collaborative partners and the community.  We believe that our strengths, and failures, have a direct impact on the families we serve and on the community.  We constantly review our outcome-based measurements and policies to ensure that we uphold the        highest standards of practice. 

Marian Wright Edelman, Founder

Children's Defense Fund