Children’s Aid focuses its services on low-income communities in New York City (NYC), serving children, youth, and families. One of our central goals is to provide caregivers with the supports they need to keep their families strong, healthy, and safe. Since 2001, the Family Wellness Program (FWP) has provided comprehensive intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention and prevention services that help families heal from the trauma of violence and establish long-term safety. FWP, which specializes in working with child welfare involved families, is the only IPV program in NYC which serves every member of the family, including the person causing harm (PCH), with a primary focus on the well-being of the child. Our client population is largely immigrant families and families of color whose primary language is Spanish. FWP services are targeted in the high-needs NYC neighborhoods of Harlem, Washington Heights, and the South Bronx.
FWP will offer underserved NYC families free, comprehensive IPV services aimed at helping them establish long-term safety and heal from the devastating effects of trauma and abuse. FWP services, offered in both English and Spanish, will include: crisis intervention and assessment; individual and group counseling; and case management and advocacy. These services will include the use of evidence-based and evidence-informed trauma treatment interventions, including Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP). The goals and objectives of our project are to: train all project therapists in evidence-based practices, including TF-CBT and CPP; reduce trauma reactions in children and adult survivors; strengthen the ability of adult survivors to keep themselves and their children safe; engage the PCH to increase their understanding of the impact of abuse, neglect, and exposure to IPV on their children and family; and reduce trauma reactions in the PCH. We aim to reach 450 clients over the life of the project, and will partner with the National Child Trauma Workforce Institute (NCTWI) at Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College for training and consultation.