Strengthening Families: Aspiranet's Turlock Family Resource Center help families maintain close bonds

According to the latest Child Maltreatment report by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, there were a nationally estimated 679,000 child victims of abuse and neglect, and an estimated 1,520 children who died from mistreatment in a single year.

Child Abuse Prevention Month in April is an opportunity to acknowledge programs that can prevent family situations from escalating abuse and educating the public on services that contribute to healthy families and reduce child abuse. Throughout this month, Aspiranet, one of the largest nonprofit human services agencies in California, will highlight its Strengthening Families Framework, an ongoing commitment to strengthen families that can lead to a reduction in child abuse.

For more than 39 years, Aspiranet has launched innovative programs that have strengthened families. Among these include the Turlock Family Resource Center (TFRC), which currently touches the lives of more than 400 children and families per week.

The community-integrated center provides services that support the health and well-being of families through a comprehensive array of support services, advocacy, and resource referrals. Services include: parent education groups, school readiness programs, prenatal education, developmental screenings and more. An on-site computer lab allows members of the community to search for employment, and learn typing and office skills, budgeting, resume building, and other employment development activities.

Aspiranet’s Strengthening Families Framework underscores Child Welfare Information Gateway’s Five Protective Factors to end the cycle of child abuse in children. These five factors include: Nurturing and Attachment, Knowledge of Parenting and of Child and Youth Development, Parental Resilience, Social Connections, and Concrete Supports for Parents. These protective factors are critical for parents and caregivers as they provide a helpful conceptual framework for guiding with children and their families.

“We try to build a cohesive unit,” explains Pamela Walton Huntley, TFRC Program Manager. “We understand the important role parents play in the cultivation of their children’s health and well-being. We work to develop positive parenting tactics and strengthening those relationships so that children can thrive not only scholastically, but in their interpersonal relationships, too.”

Join us on Thursday, April 30, at the Turlock Family Resource Center for a Community Fair to learn more about the services offered. To RSVP and for more information, call 209-668-6118.

About Aspiranet

Aspiranet, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charity, supports foster children, siblings, families and the community with 35 core programs offering specialized services throughout 45 locations within California. Aspiranet strengthens children, families and communities through seven core programs including: Foster Care, Adoption, Residential, Transition Age Youth, Behavioral Health, Wraparound and Family and Community Services.

Founded 40 years ago as a six-bed group home for young boys in Moss Beach, Calif., Aspiranet is one of the most diverse nonprofit social service agencies in the state. With a statewide network of innovative services, Aspiranet serves more than 10,000 families each year. For more information, please visit www.aspiranet.org.