Writing A New Story
What was done to a child does not have to be the story they live in, or the story they pass on.
If a child is being harmed right now, call 911. To report suspected child abuse in Pennsylvania, call ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313 — free, confidential, and staffed around the clock.
Why this program exists
The harm from abuse and neglect does not end when the abuse does. It follows a child into their health, their schooling, their relationships, and too often into how they raise their own children. Breaking that chain is the entire purpose of this program.
Children who have experienced abuse or neglect carry substantially elevated risk across nearly every measure we track — mental health, substance use, involvement with the justice system, and self-harm. Among teens who self-harm, a large majority have been physically or sexually abused. These are not separate problems; they are the same problem showing up at different ages.
What we do
- Work with children and families to make sure long-term care is actually in place, not merely referred
- Coordinate multi-agency services so the child's interests stay at the center of the plan rather than the convenience of the agencies
- Strengthen the family around the child, which the research consistently identifies as the strongest single protective factor
- Teach parents, through Leading With Love, the difference between discipline that teaches and punishment that frightens
Where we are honest about limits
We have not fully built out a prevention program in this area, and we will not pretend otherwise. We work alongside established organizations rather than duplicating them, and our strongest contribution so far is on the parenting side — reaching fathers and families before harm occurs. We are committed to expanding this work as capacity allows.