CHS Blog
Nonprofits of all kinds provide critical help to communities across the United States, but it is the medium-sized ones that make a critical difference — those with at least 500 employees. Their workers operate food pantries, and homeless and domestic-violence shelters. They manage and staff residential facilities for young people with mental illnesses. They offer […]
“In foster care, we often hear ‘Be the village’. No one embodies this more than Tracy Garmon” – Casey Hendershot, LMHC, CHS Licensed Clinical Program Supervisor Tracy Garmon became a foster parent in 2015. She has provided a loving home to so many children in Northeast Florida she says she has lost count … but […]
Dr. Nivea L. Torres takes an in-depth look at the Community Partnership Schools model with Merchon Green, CHS Director of the Community Partnership School in Dodgertown Elementary. View this interview on: Moonshot Radio on Youtube
Many experts predicted at the start of the pandemic that widespread self-isolation would lead to more cases of child abuse. Now, they believe cases are being underreported. Calls to child abuse hotlines have gone down since stay-at-home orders took effect, by around 50% in some states. Jericka Duncan shares the video diaries from child welfare […]
A top pediatric trauma surgeon and Central Florida child-welfare advocates are sounding an alarm over a sharp rise in severe child abuse cases since the start of the coronavirus pandemic — a trend they fear could continue until classrooms reopen in August and the economy improves. “These are not just a belt mark or a […]
While many can connect with children and families through technology, some children still need to be seen. In the midst of so much uncertainty, so much fear, I see so much good. There is good in the essential work that must continue. Our first-responders, health care workers, gas station attendants, grocery store clerks, maintenance professionals, […]
April was National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the annual observance in the U.S. since 1983 for raising awareness of one of the world’s worst problems. The World Health Organization defines child abuse and child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting […]
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Children’s Home Society of Florida is sounding the alarm about how the COVID-19 pandemic and stay at home orders could be increasing incidents of child abuse and neglect. The organization’s VP, Tara Hormell, joined us with more information. Listen at wjct.org
There’s Always Room at the Jenkins’ Table Starla and Mike Jenkins became foster parents in North Carolina. When a new opportunity brought them to Florida, they knew they wanted to continue welcoming children into their hearts and home in Central Florida. The Jenkins did not waste any time. In the midst of moving across state […]
Mavis Bryant, from Cocoa, Florida, loved her career as a case manager at the Children’s Home Society. So when her health began to deteriorate in March 2018 due to heart disease, kidney disease, and type 2 diabetes, forcing her to spend several months in the hospital, she was devastated. She worried she’d never be able […]
In the midst of so much uncertainty, so much fear, I see so much good. There is good in the essential work that must continue. Not a minute passes without the heart of our communities rapidly beating to serve others. Our first responders, health care workers, gas station attendants, grocery store clerks, maintenance professionals, janitorial […]
As our nation celebrates the essential workers on the front line who are sacrificing so much to care for others during this unprecedented crisis, we must also remember the essential workers who are often hidden from the public eye: the child welfare case managers and child protective investigators who protect vulnerable children. The home visitors […]
Given the state of the world, counseling has become a pressing need. The Children’s Home Society of Florida is open for tele-counseling during the Covid-19 social distancing. Although the physical offices are closed, the agency remains fully operational virtually. CHS recently moved from the Sunshine Plaza in South Daytona to Suite 100 at 1530 Cornerstones […]
On a normal day at Kristi House, the phones don’t stop ringing for long. Not that it’s a good thing when calls pour into Miami-Dade’s children’s advocacy center — it usually means a child is being sexually abused and needs to be seen for psychological counseling or forensic interviews. Each call that comes through is cause for […]
At CHS, one of our core values is balance – something all families are struggling to find in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. As social distancing drives families into their homes, our communities can still come together. Here are some ways you can support your friends, families, neighbors and loved ones during these unprecedented […]
