Children’s Trust, in collaboration with TAP’s Early Head Start Pregnant Women’s Program and Family Service of Roanoke Valley, has been awarded a Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grant from the Virginia Division of Child and Family Services. The funding provided enables the agencies to better coordinate services for high-risk, expectant mothers, providing seamless continuum of support from pregnancy through early childhood.
Home visiting services through TAP’s Early Head Start Pregnant Women’s Program begin prenatally, and continue until the infant is 6 weeks old. With the implementation of this partnership, families will then begin receiving home visiting services through Children’s Trust’s Healthy Families program for the next 3-5 years.
Family Service of Roanoke Valley will complement the home visiting programs by providing mental health services, which include individual and group support, to give women the opportunity to address and reduce the stresses of pregnancy and parenting.
The program aims to serve women who face challenges like single parenting, domestic violence, unaddressed mental health issues, or substance abuse, all of which can contribute to negative health and social outcomes for children.
Home visiting services, especially those that begin prenatally, have been shown to have significant positive impact on women and their families, including better overall health, improved maternal-child bonding, and most importantly, reduced rates of child abuse and neglect.
The collaboration of Children’s Trust, TAP, and Family Service of Roanoke Valley will ensure that continuous services are easily accessible for families who need it most. By providing them the support to be the best parents they can be, children in our community are given the foundation they need to for a healthy, happy life.
