TRENTON, NEW JERSEY – Two Union County programs were among 28 recognized for outstanding child abuse prevention programs by Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn Harris and Paulette Moore Hines, chair of the Child Life Protection Commission, at a StateHouse ceremony on May 20.

Among the 2003-2004 grant recipients of the Children’s Trust Fund was the Project An Campe program, developed by International Institute of New Jersey.  It received a first year grant of $40,063 to address child abuse prevention among the Haitian population in Elizabeth, NJ.  Parents attend a 5-week parenting skills group led by a Haitian psychologist, and short radio plays, highlighting real life parenting concerns done in the Creole language, are broadcast on a local ethnic radio station.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County in Plainfield, NJ received $40,000 for its second year of running the Family Resource Center.  The center is a family support program that emphasizes a proactive approach to prevent child abuse and neglect. Enhancing family stability,developing parental competencies and focusing on prevention are some the ways this program promotes healthy development of families. Commissioner Harris thanked the programs for their dedication to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Commenting on the benefit of the Children's Trust Fund grants, she noted, “I am especially pleased to see that most of the money for these grants has come from citizens who generously checked off the donor box on their New Jersey tax returns.”

Each year CTF selects innovative programs structured to prevent child abuse and neglect among high-risk populations. This year, a majority of grantees are utilizing widely recognized standard curricula that have proven to be successful, like Parents As Teachers, Families and Schools Together and the Strengthening Families Model.  Most focus on parent involvement -- a key element for effective child abuse prevention programs as outlined in the New Jersey Prevention Standards.

The Children’s Trust Fund provides funding on a three-year basis with a step down process in funding amount.  During the course of three years, programs must procure additional funding to meet the amount of their first year grant, with the goal of working toward independence from CTF funding in order to carry on their program beyond three years.  Over the past 16 years, $11.3 million have been awarded to agencies within every county of the state. In the 2003-2004 grant year, ten first year programs will receive a total of $449,306, ten second year programs will receive a total of $345,168 and eight third year programs will receive a total of $176,756.

For more information on The Children’s Trust Fund, go to the New Jersey State website at http://www.state.nj.us/humanservices/cap/njcap2.html.