• Signup for Email
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • John Springer
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Hilary Freeman
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Melissa Ludington
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
      • Lori Poppen
      • Mendy Smith
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Associate Board
        • Associate Board Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Metro
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Remember Us in Your Will
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event or Campaign
    • See Our Impact
  • Policy Center
    • The Federation for Community Schools
    • Advocacy
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
    • New Hire Benefits
    • Intern
Children's Home + Aid
Give Today
  •  Adoption
    Services
    • Become an Adoptive Parent
    • Adoption Family Profiles
      • Pauline
      • Successful Placement: Leo and Steve
    • Adoption & Guardianship Preservation
    • Adoption Information Request
    • Adoption Resources
    • Pregnancy, Early Parent, and Adoption Counseling
    • Post Adoption Services
  •  Foster Care
    Services
    • Become a Foster Parent
      • Learn More – Metro Chicago
      • Learn More – Northern Illinois
      • Learn More – Southern Illinois
    • Foster Care with Relatives
    • Foster Parent Resources
    • Adult Connections
    • Excellence Academy
    • Sibling Connections
    • Specialized Foster Care
    • Therapeutic Foster Care
  •  Counseling &
    Treatment Programs
    • Adoption Support & Preservation
    • Choose 2 Change
    • Community Based Behavioral Health
    • Early Prevention In The Community
    • Families And Children in Treatment
    • Family Centered Counseling Services
    • Family Solutions
    • FCAN
    • Project Connect
    • Residential Services
      • Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Child & Family Center
      • Independent Living
    • SPARCS
    • The Butterfly Project
    • Youth Services
      • Redeploy
      • Youth Services
  • Parenting
    • The Butterfly Project
    • The Children’s Room
    • Crisis Nursery
      • Motherhouse Crisis Nursery
      • Crisis Nursery in Bloomington
    • Early Start
    • Family Visitation Center
    • Healthy Families Illinois
    • Doula
    • Kid’s Turn
    • Parents Care & Share
    • Power of Fathers
    • Pregnancy, Early Parent, and Adoption Counseling
    • Stronger Beginnings for Families
  •  Child Care
    & Education
    • Community Child Care Centers
      • Bloomington
      • Carpentersville
      • Englewood
      • Palatine
      • Schaumburg
      • Viva Chicago
    • Early Head Start
    • Head Start
    • Preschool For All
    • Child Care Assistance Program
    • Child Care Resource and Referral
      • Southern Region
        • Looking for Child Care
        • Parent Resources
        • Provider Services
        • Statistical Information
        • Training Opportunities
        • CCR&R Staff Directory
  • Signup for Email
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • Leadership
      • Mike Shaver
      • Jan Stepto-Millett
      • John Springer
      • Paula Corrigan-Halpern
      • Hilary Freeman
      • Sara Irmen
      • Dawnielle Jeffrey
      • Melissa Ludington
      • Renae Storey
      • Amanda Whitlock
      • Lori Poppen
      • Mendy Smith
    • Board of Trustees
    • License & Accreditation
    • Mission & Vision
    • Financial Information
    • Client Policy and Rights
  • Get Involved
    • Join an Auxiliary Board
      • Associate Board
        • Associate Board Membership Request Form
      • Hinsdale Auxiliary
      • Lost Dunes Golf Committee
      • Rice Leadership Committee
      • The Woman’s Board
      • Central Regional Advisory Board
      • Northern Regional Advisory Board
      • Southern Regional Advisory Board
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Volunteer Metro
      • Volunteer Central
      • Volunteer Northern
      • Volunteer Southern
  • Ways to Give
    • Make a Donation
    • Become a Monthly Donor
    • Shop Amazon Smile
    • Attend or Sponsor an Event
    • Get Your Company Involved
    • Remember Us in Your Will
    • Make a Gift of Stock
    • Give Through Your IRA
    • Create Your Own Fundraising Event or Campaign
    • See Our Impact
  • Policy Center
    • The Federation for Community Schools
    • Advocacy
    • Result of the Quarter
    • Get our Newsletter!
  • Events
  • Blog & News
  • Locations
  • Careers
    • New Hire Benefits
    • Intern
Return to all blog and news posts

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

by Isabella Rodriguez
10/31/2019  |  Central Region, Safe from the Start

Each year millions of children are exposed to violence in their homes. Exposure to violence, especially repeated over time, can interfere with children’s ability to think and learn and can disrupt the course of healthy physical, emotional, and intellectual development. Exposure to violence is also associated with increased use of health and mental health services and increased risk of involvement with the child welfare and juvenile justice systems.

“One third of females and one quarter of males are the direct victim of intimate partner violence, and twenty percent of children will be directly exposed to violence in their home. If someone confides in you, believe them,” says Jeannie Higdon, Family Support Services Program Manager in the agency’s Central Region.

Two services from Children’s Home & Aid that aim to care for children and families exposed to violence are the Butterfly Project and Family Visitation Center (FVC) in the agency’s Central Region. Jeannie Higdon tells us there are numerous warning signs of domestic violence such as controlling and regressive behaviors, fear of separation from a caregiver, unexplained body aches, anxiety and more.

Children’s Home & Aid’s  Butterfly Project and Family Visitation Center provide therapeutic intervention services to families and children exposed to and impacted by violence. This year, the Butterfly Project and FVC served a combined total of 43 families and 49 children.

Since 2009, the agency’s  Family Visitation Center in Bloomington has offered  a safe, neutral site for supervised visitation and exchanges for families experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The FVC has various security protocols to enhance safety and procedures so neither parent has contact with the other parent.  A federal grant received this fall will allow an additional 75 families throughout the 11th Judicial Circuit, which includes Ford, Livingston, Logan, and Woodford counties, to participate in safe exchanges and supervised visitation.

“We offer parents and children a place to spend time together free of worry, stress, or fear,” says Jeannie.

Children’s Home & Aid’s Butterfly Project provides therapeutic intervention to families and children exposed to and impacted by violence. The  Butterfly Project supports the family to help the child heal through their relationship with the non-offending parent. The program addresses the issue of children’s exposure to violence by providing community education, training and direct services to children, ages 0-13.

The national domestic violence hotline 1.800.799.7233 is always available to link those in need to local resources.

 


The Family Visitation Center in Bloomington, IL shown above

 

share
No Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Search the Blog

Categories

  • 135th Anniversary (15)
    • Hope With Wings (1)
  • Adoption (12)
  • Associate Board (1)
  • Blue Bow Campaign (3)
  • Central Region (17)
  • Champions for Children (8)
  • Chicago Cubs (2)
  • Child Welfare (7)
  • City of Chicago (17)
    • One Summer Chicago (12)
      • Summer Intern Project (8)
  • Corporate Partner Spotlight (3)
  • Crisis Nursery (4)
  • Cultural Competence (2)
  • Donor Spotlight (1)
  • Early Childhood Services (10)
  • Education (5)
    • Literacy (1)
  • Families Thriving Podcast (2)
  • Fiscal Scan (2)
  • Foster Parent Mentoring (3)
  • Fundraising (18)
    • Stuff the Bus (1)
  • Graze & Raise (1)
  • Healthy Families Home Visiting (2)
  • Holiday Time (10)
  • In the News (8)
  • Jerri Hoffmann Child & Family Center (1)
  • LGBTQ (1)
  • Memorial Day (1)
  • Mental Health (2)
  • Mission (26)
    • Careers (14)
      • Internship (7)
    • Leadership Spotlight (8)
  • Mitzi Freidheim Child + Family Center (3)
  • Mothers Day (1)
  • Northern Region (6)
  • Philanthropy (9)
  • Power of Fathers (3)
  • Program Results (45)
    • CCAP (2)
    • Choose 2 Change (6)
    • Community Schools (6)
    • Doula (1)
    • Foster Care (16)
      • Intact Family Services (2)
    • Head Start (2)
    • Healthy Start (2)
    • Mentoring (3)
    • Parents Care + Share (2)
    • Redeploy Illinois (2)
    • RISE (1)
    • Safe from the Start (2)
    • Stat of the Month (3)
    • Stronger Beginnings for Families (1)
  • Rice Child + Family Center (13)
  • Southern Region (8)
  • State Budget Crisis (6)
  • The Ahlquist Center (23)
    • Advocacy (16)
    • Newsletter (7)
  • Uncategorized (9)
    • Mentorship (4)
  • Veterans Day (2)
  • Volunteer Spotlight (4)
  • Woman's Board (3)
  • Youth Budget (2)

On Twitter

My Tweets
Children's Home + Aid

Corporate Home Office

125 South Wacker Drive, 14th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 424-0200
+ DONATE NOW!

ABOUT

  • Media / Press Room
    • Press Releases
  • Careers
  • Financial Information
  • Licenses & Accreditation
  • Corporate & Foundation Partners
  • Sitemap
  • Privacy Policy

GET IN TOUCH

  • Contact Us
  • Volunteer
  • United Way
  • COA

© copyright 2019 children’s home + aid