California Parenting Institute

Causes: Family Services, Human Services, Mental Health, Mental Health & Crisis Intervention, Single Parent Agencies

Mission: California parenting institute (cpi dba child parent institute) is a parent education and childrens mental health agency, serving families throughout sonoma county since 1978. Our mission is to end child abuse and strengthen the health of children, parents, and families. Cpis continuum of care includes childrens trauma counseling, family resource assistance, parent education and support services, facilitated supervised visitation, support services for families with children on the autism spectrum, creative art therapy programs, and a non-public school (new directions) providing adolescent special education trauma informed educational services. We advocate for policies that support families and protect children. Our key strategy is the use of the strengthening families five protective factors model, which is integrated into all of our programs. The protective factors are: parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of

Programs: Since 1978, the child parent institute has cared for thousands of sonoma county children and families. From providing counseling, workshops, and groups to groceries, diapers, and community resources, we support families in a host of different ways. By collaborating with family resource centers, government agencies, community organizations, and businesses around sonoma county, we are able to provide referrals to ensure each and every family gets what they need to create safe homes. Every day we are helping families build their strengths and grow a support network; we are helping parents understand child development and find their own resiliency; and we are helping children learn how to understand and regulate their emotions. Everyday, we are stopping child abuse. Our programs at cpi bring thousands of sonoma county families the information and help they need to raise healthy families. Perhaps most important is the hope we bring to troubled families in the homeless shelters, drug treatment programs and even in the jail that it is never too late to learn the skills to be a good parent. Advocacy in our communityprevent child abuse-sonoma county (pca-sc) provides networking opportunities, education, and professional trainings for those involved in child abuse prevention and intervention services. We work to increase public awareness about issues relating to child abuse and neglect in the community. This includes: building a community that protects and promotes healthy families; raising community awareness and educating parents, professionals, and community members through promoting the prevention of child abuse and neglect; and championing the local blue ribbon child abuse prevention campaign each april. In order to help create results locally, pca-sc strives to make communities aware and therefore more involved in protecting children and strengthening families. We advocate for policies that support families and protect children. Visit www. Pcasonoma. Org for more information. Parent resourcesbuilding strong, healthy and trusting relationships is the foundation of positive parenting, and the cornerstone of cpis core philosophy. Effective parenting education efforts reach parents before theyve come to the end of their ropes, engages them in activities that promote healthy, stable relationships, and provides resources and support. Our staff is trained in trauma-informed practices and integrates the strengthening families five protective factors framework across all of our programs. These protective factors have been proven effective in the prevention of child abuse and neglect: parental resiliencesocial connectionsknowledge of parenting and child developmentconcrete support in times of need childrens social and emotional developmentcpi serves over 2,000 parents per year in our parenting and resource assistance programs, strengthening and enhancing the capacities of parents and caregivers in sonoma county to provide stable, nurturing homes for children. Cpi has also developed long standing, effective relationships with other community providers and has demonstrated success in offering coordinated care for our communities most vulnerable children and families. Accomplishments in our parent resources programs during the fiscal year 2016-2017:4,828 unduplicated parents and children benefited from parent support services1,357 parents attended classes offered at cpi and in the community61 mothers received support for perinatal mood disorders780 families received in-home triple p parenting services and resource assistance68 families received supervised visitation304 families received mentoring and orientation75 families received autism support services30 teen parents received parent education at their school sitesnew directionscpis new directions school provides quality specialized education for students grades 5 through 12 who require a unique setting to meet their needs. New directions provides a learning home for students whose needs and disabilities require more supervision, guidance, and support than can be provided on a large mainstream campus. New directions serves students with intensive academic and counseling support. Individual tools are provided for each student to help them realize their full potential with the goal of re-integration into district classrooms. Our credentialed special education teachers are trained to core academic subjects to students with learning, social, emotional and physical disabilities. Course offerings are individually focused for each students needs and academic level to meet college preparatory standards. Each student attends individual and group therapy weekly. Both our educational and therapeutic services are trauma informed. Accomplishments in our new directions programs during the fiscal year 2016-2017:33 students attended during the 2016/2017 school year. 1,782 hours of counseling to help our students and their families succeed. 2 seniors with high school graduation diplomas and ceremonies. Creative arts programscpis creative arts programs and services offer high quality, diverse arts education and creative experiences for children, youth, and families. Participants learn and practice tools that increase their social and emotional competencies, enhance effective communication skills, and build positive relationships. Our creative arts programs push participants to envision new perspectives and consider their potentials as creative beings, their identities as artists, and their roles in the community, providing a foundation for self-expression and skills that provide lifelong benefits. Accomplishments in our creative arts programs during the fiscal year 2016-2017cpi hosted 16 afterschool creative arts groups at 9 schools in rohnert park, santa rosa, and monte rio. Each group met for an average of 10 weeks. 80 women and 20 children participated in our expressive arts programs at the living room. 80 children attended our summer camp program, funded by wine country weekend. The program provides four free 30-hour weeks of creative arts camps for children and youth in santa rosa and rohnert park. Now im able to use music to express myself with others, and can use teamwork to collaborate. I think about art as describing you your feelings, your emotions. For me it expresses how my life is, my moods. I love camp. I wish id found out about it sooner. (first time teen camper)art is really relaxing, because you can just let your ideas flow, and i got to meet new people. I think camp was a very amazing experience. I havent laughed this hard since third grade. (my personal favorite, from a teen camper)yearly highlights:our creative arts team, along with new directions art therapists, presented on arts in healing at the conference on adverse childhood experiences hosted by the center for youth wellness, highlighting our trauma-informed summer camp program and research projects by new directions staff. Our creative arts team performed for a crowd of hundreds at the city of santa rosas earth day celebration, giving kids the chance to join the action on stage and save the day. Artwork created by women in our expressive arts groups at the living room was featured in an exhibit called a place to call home at the paul mahder gallery in healdsburg in may. The exhibit was designed to tell the stories of the homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless, while celebrating the successes of reach for home (formerly north sonoma county services) and other community partners, and shining a light on the challenges that still exist in addressing homelessness in sonoma county. Our living room womens expressive arts group facilitators shellee davis and sarah hylton helped create an installation of medicine dolls and a community quilt constructed by participants, which hold a variety of meanings connected to healing and community for each individual artist. Behavioral health programscpis behavioral health programs and services offer high quality therapeutic experiences for children, youth, and families. Clients are provided with a safe environment in which to increase their social and emotional competencies, enhance effective communication skills, and build positive relationships and healthy attachments. Cpi is unique in that our programs have many clinicians with expertise in treating early childhood mental health issues (ages 0 5). Over 95% of clients served in the behavioral health programs have been assessed and found to have at least one experience of trauma. The recent evolution of brain imaging technology has delivered proof that trauma alters the very architecture of the developing brain. Thankfully, these changes can be mitigated when addressed early in life, while the brain is still growing. Play and art therapy affect precisely those parts of the brain impacted by trauma. Participation in therapy strengthens social and emotional development, and builds healthy attachments within families. These benefits help reduce the risk of child ab