The Child Protection Center Named Grant Recipient

The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) was selected as the recipient of a $90,000 grant from the McCune Family Foundation.  The McCune Family Foundation has a long history of major investment in CPC’s mission- the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse. Their continued transformational support has given CPC the ability to positively impact thousands of children in Sarasota County while furthering the vision of a community where children are safe from abuse and free to thrive.

Since its inception in 1980, The Child Protection Center has grown in service capabilities to become the only DeSoto and Sarasota service provider with a multifaceted approach to the prevention, intervention, and treatment, of child abuse. The four core programs that work towards the mission of The CPC include: Personal Safety and Community Awareness (PSCA), Child Protection Team (CPT), Children and Families Supervised Visitation Program (CFSVP), and Therapy programs.

PSCA provides primary abuse prevention education to children from preschool through high school. The program facilitates workshops on sexual child abuse prevention, internet safety, and properly identifying and reporting suspected abuse for caregivers, childcare professionals, teachers, school board staff and the greater community. The focus is the creation of a future in which children are empowered and educated, adults are aware and equipped, and our community is a safer place for children and families.

CPT is a legislatively mandated program working in partnership with the Florida Department of Children and Families and local law enforcement agencies in cases of children who are suspected victims of sexual abuse, physical abuse and neglect. This multidisciplinary program provides expertise in evaluating allegations of abuse and neglect, assessing risk factors, and providing recommendations for interventions to protect children.

CFSVP provides a safe place for children to interact with their parents. Over 70 Sarasota County citizens serve as CFSVP volunteers, who supervise visitation between children and families who have been identified as being at heightened risk of physical or emotional harm due to parenting behaviors.

The Therapy program serves children who have been physically and sexually abused as well as children exhibiting problematic sexual behaviors and extend intervention services to the primary client’s non-offending caregiver and siblings. The focus is to provide mental health support, intervention, and treatment to children and families experiencing crisis and trauma.

From 2017-2019, CPC has provided services to 218,957 individuals. For more information on CPC, visitwww.cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277