Childrens Services
Case Management Services:
When a new family enters the shelter, it can be a difficult and scary time for children. The Children’s Services Coordinator will meet with each child and provide them with some general information about what to expect during their time at the shelter, some basic guidelines, and an explanation of some of the feelings that might come up during this transitional time. A basic needs-assessment is conducted for the child, and steps are quickly taken to ensure that these needs are met as soon as possible. The CSC will also follow-up consistently with the child(ren) in regards to the needs presented upon the initial assessment (i.e. clothing needs, medical needs, child care needs, etc.). A safety plan will also be provided to each child/teen upon exiting the shelter. There is one booklet geared towards teens, and another for younger children.
Counseling Services:
Each child is welcomed and encouraged to participate in receiving individual, group, or family therapy by the Children’s Services Coordinator (CSC). It is the hope that through these counseling services, children can adjust quickly and easily, and heal from the pain caused by the trauma of abuse that they have experienced 
or witnessed in their lives. Therapy sessions can consist of therapeutic art, therapeutic play, talking, learning new coping skills and positive ways to express emotions, or a combination of all. The parent is encouraged to visit with the CSC (or whomever is conducting the counseling session with the child) to establish expectations, to establish a brief history of the child, and to gain an understanding of the rationale behind the parent’s desire for her child to receive counseling. A counseling session would begin with the CSC (or intern, or other Children’s Team Member) asking specific questions to gain an understanding of the client’s ability to identify and express emotions, to identify and express problem behaviors, and to state what s/he believes they have been referred for counseling. If a child is too young or is behind developmentally, therapeutic play will be used in place of talk therapy.
Counseling for non-residential clients (people in the community who are not living at the shelter) is available as well. The first initial session with the client would be conducted using the same form as the residential counseling sessions.
Evening Activity Groups:
These groups meet every evening from 7-8 Monday through Thursday. We count on volunteers to help us to make sure that these groups run smoothly and efficiently. The goal of these groups is to have therapeutic learning and interaction. This happens by discussing a topic like anger management, communication, bullying, expressing emotions, positive coping skills, etc., and creating an interactive learning activity to accompany the topic, ensuring that it applies to all age levels involved in group. When there are enough children in different age groups and there are enough volunteers, it is optimal to separate the kids into different groups accordingly so that their activities can be tailored to meet there needs. The groups are typically run by interns, but are at times run by the Children’s Services Coordinator as well.
Educational Arrangements:
It has been shown that each time a student changes schools, he or she loses about 6 months academically. At the FamilyAbuseCenter, we do our best to ensure that the children are able to obtain the best education possible. If it is safe for the student to continue going to his or her home school, we will help make transportation arrangements for that to happen. Otherwise, we work closely with the WacoIndependentSchool District in enrolling our kids in school and getting a WISD bus that will transport only clients from the shelter to and from school. We have also been able to set up after school tutoring services to be provided here at the shelter for children needing extra assistance.
Preventative Services:
For the last ten years, FamilyAbuseCenter has provided violence prevention education in the HOTCOG area. Since January, we’ve served over 300 children ranging in ages from 4 to 19 years old. Of the students who graduated our program, 85% could identify conflict resolution skills that helped them respond to violence in healthy ways.
The Start First Program seeks to teach children the consequences of violence, such as bullying, racism, sexual harassment, dating violence and domestic violence. The program teaches alternatives to violent behavior through conflict resolution and positive communication skills.
The Start First Program lasts approximately six weeks and a typical session is an hour long. It involves a short teaching session, hands on educational activities and discussion led by master’s level social workers. In addition, The Start First Program offers free and confidential crisis intervention and individual counseling to at-risk children based on referrals from teachers, administrators, and/ or counselors.
For more information about the Start First Program, please contact Taryn Daniels Sheena Smith at 254-772-8999.
Donations/Fundraisers:
We are always looking for ways to generate donations and funding to better enhance the children’s program here at the FamilyAbuseCenter. In the past, we have been fortunate enough to have people donate money for everything from school uniforms and school supplies to play therapy toys, and everything in between. If you are interested in discovering more ways to help support the children’s program, please call 254-772-8999.
Children’s Volunteer Information:
Volunteers are very important to us here at FAC, especially with the children’s program. We really wouldn’t be able to run our evening groups as smoothly without the help of our fantastic volunteers! Volunteers for the children’s groups are prepared with a brief introduction of domestic violence, and are then provided with further information regarding children and domestic violence, policies and procedures for working with children at the FamilyAbuseCenter, and other helpful information. Volunteers help to ensure that our groups run efficiently by:
- Assisting group leader in carrying out plans
- Being knowledgeable about positive discipline skills
- Being familiar with effects of domestic violence on children
- Showing ability to empathize with children
- Being familiar with policies and procedures for working with children
- Assisting in organizing supplies (and children!)
- Helping clean up areas that are used during group, assuring that things are put in their proper labeled place
- Assisting children in finding their mothers and returning to them when group is over
- Supporting the group facilitator in every way, including discipline, directions, and modeling respect for the children
- Completing training with Volunteer Coordinator
- Being alert and attentive to children at all times
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Dinah Husbands at 254-772-8999 extension 2240.