Child abuse, and the number of children entering the foster care is steadily on the rise.
Our services provide a proven solution to this problem.
We serve families with children ages 0-6
who are most at risk of abuse and neglect, and needing foster care.

Nine years after exiting our Relief Nursery 90% of children are still free of foster care.

THE NUMBERS

In 2018, 46.3% of the 12,585 verified child abuse victims in Oregon were younger than 6 years old—that’s 5,826 little children suffering from abuse and neglect.*

Children under age 6 are at the highest risk of abuse and neglect.

40% of Oregon’s 11,000 foster children are under 6 years old.*

90% of a child’s brain develops by the age of 5.

Maltreated children are statistically twice as likely to require state services.

Research shows programs focused on children ages 0-5 produce the greatest long-term positive outcomes.

We provide a proven solution to a growing state-wide problem.

Recent studies show that of the families receiving support from a Relief Nursery 95% of children require no foster care.

Of those already in foster care, children exit the foster care system twice as quickly as those not receiving services. (Between 2008-10, the average number of days spent in foster care was reduced from 394 to 179–a difference of 215 days or $8,300 per child in foster care reimbursements.)

Families who receive our support experience a 25% reduction in measurable risk of child maltreatment

The percentage of parents with gainful employment increased from 18% at intake to 32% after 24 months of Relief Nursery support.

WE PROVIDE A WAY TO…

…break the generational cycles of abuse and neglect

…ensure children are safe and families stay together

…relieve the financial burden on the state

Relief Nurseries are the only program of their kind in Oregon.

We use proven strategies to prevent child maltreatment, break generational patterns of abuse and neglect, reduce the impact of childhood trauma, and support the development of stable, strong families who are able to keep their children safe and thriving at home.

Families are selected for our programs based on their risk for potential abuse and foster care – not merely the financial resources of a family.

Our two-generation approach places the family at the center of our prevention services.

HELPING FAMILIES HEAL AND GAIN ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE ALSO SAVES OREGON TAX DOLLARS

The upstream nature of our work reduces the expenditures in child welfare, foster care, criminal justice and more:

Foster care costs the state $28,000/year per child.

The state pays $110,000/year to incarcerate a child in a youth correctional facility.

Relief Nursery services cost just $7,500/year per child–and the state pays only a portion.

Our Model for Healing and Development

The Relief Nursery model addresses the three principles identified by the Harvard University Center on the Developing Child* as most profoundly affecting brain development and helping children heal from trauma:

• Reducing sources of stress

• Supporting responsive relationships

• Strengthening core life skills

Using a data-driven approach, we support families in developing the 5 Protective Factors, putting our resources where they will be most effective.

*developingchild.harvard.edu

Family Nurturing Center Relief Nurseries include three core practices:

Therapeutic classrooms for children enhance the social, emotional, and cognitive functioning or each child, and support healing from traumatic life experiences.

We help parents learn about their children’s needs, understand how to help their children develop secure attachments, and develop the ability to work through crises and parenting struggles.

We regularly visit the homes of enrolled families to work with parents on strengthening the parent-child relationship, increasing attachment security, and solving parenting challenges to keep children healthy and safe.

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