Child Witness to Violence Project
(CFN contact) Betsy McCalister Groves, MSW, LICSW
1 Boston Medical Center Place, MAT5
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 414-3662
Program for children and families who have experienced/witnessed violence

Children and Abuse
Massachusetts Children’s Trust Fund
294 Washington St., Suite 640
Boston, MA 02108
(888) 775-4KIDS
Runs over 100 parenting education and home visiting programs.

Emerge
(CFN contact)Chuck Turner, Coordinator of Training
2380 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 422-1550
Intervention program for men who batter

Good Start
(CFN contact) Linnea Norris, Southeast Region Director
MSPCC
Central Administration
158 Main St.
Brockton, MA 02301
(617)227-2280
Offers home visits to needy mothers, off-shoot of MSPCC

Massachusetts Campaign for Children
14 Beacon St., suite 706
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-8555; 800-CHILDREN
email: mail@masskids.org
Builds and maintains grassroots organizations that promote the well-being of children, youth, and families.

Massachusetts Coalition of Battered Women
14 Beacon Street, Suite 507
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 248-0922
Support/service group for battered women

Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC)
399 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 507-1500

National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA)
P.O. Box 2866
Chicago, IL, 60690
(800) 55-NCPCA
www.childabuse.org

NCPCA—Boston chapter
Jetta Bernier, Executive director
MA Committee: Children and Youth
14 Beacon Street, Suite 706
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 742-8555; (800)-CHILDREN
email: mail@masskids.org
website: www.masskids.org

Parental Stress Line
Parents' and Children’s Service
654 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02215
1-800-623-8188
Statewide service that offers support to parents
Parents Anonymous Massachusetts
(CFN contact) Jeanette Atkinson, Executive Director
140 Claredon St.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: (617) 267-8077

Project "We Can Talk About It"(link to website)
Children's Charter
Waltham, MA
(617) 894-4307
Trauma clinic for children & families
Transition House
PO Box 390672
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 354-2676
Support/service group for battered women Founded in 1976,
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Story contacts (The following is a list of people who have already been contacted by CFN and have agreed to speak with the press.)

David Adams
Program Coordinator
Emerge
2380 Massachusetts Ave
Suite #101
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 547-9879
Relevant area: programs for men who batter

Bonnie Gage
Counselor & Volunteer Coordinator
Emerge
2380 Massachusetts Ave
Suite #101
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 547-9879
Relevant area: working with victims of domestic violence

Linnea Norris
Director of GoodStart Program, Southeast Regional Director of MSPCC
158 Main Street
Brockton, MA 02301
(508) 586-2660; (800) 339-2204
Relevant area: child protection

Karla Rideout
Director of Community Children's Center
90 Cushing Ave
Dorchester, MA 02125
(617) 287-1900
Relevant area: Children and homelessness, abuse, and trauma

Chuck Turner
Coordinator of Training
Emerge
2380 Massachusetts Ave
Suite #101
Cambridge, MA 02140
(617) 547-9879
Relevant area: services for African American men who batter.

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Experts (The following is a list of people who have already been contacted by CFN and have agreed to speak with the press.)

Jeannette Atkinson
Executive Director
Parents Anonymous Massachusetts
140 Clarendon St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-367-8077
Relevant area: education and support for at-risk parents

Robin Einzig, EDM
Ph.D. Student, Tufts University
Child Witness to Violence Project
(617) 627-3355
reinzig@emerald.tufts.edu
Relevant area: children & trauma

Judy Hunt
LICSW and Counselor for the Child to Witness Violence Project
1 Boston Medical Center Place, MAT5
Boston, MA 02118
(617)414-5442
Relevant area: children & trauma

Betsy McAllistor-Groves
Child Witness to Violence Project
1 Boston Medical Center Place, MAT5
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 414-3662
Relevant area: children & trauma

Kristine Piers
Good Start
Home Visitor
Brockton Office
1-800-339-2204
Relevant area: Education and support for at-risk parents

Robert M. Reece, M.D.
Director, Institute for Professional Education
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
399 Boylston St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-587-1512
email: breece@mspcc.org
Relevant area: education and support for at-risk families

Karla Rideout
Director of Community Children's Center
90 Cushing Ave
Dorchester, MA 02155
(617)287-1900
Relevant area: Children and homelessness, abuse, and trauma

Lisa Tieszen
Director of Safe Transitions
Beth Israel-Deaconess Medical Center
(617) 667-8241
Relevant area: victim advocacy

Maxine Weinreb
Child Witness to Violence Project
1 Boston Medical Center Place
MAT5
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 414-3662
Relevant area: children & trauma

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Background (The following is a compilation of research, statistics, and clinical data.)

Domestic Abuse and Children
Because abusive behavior is often cyclic, many health and developmental problems in early childhood can lead to behavioral, educational, and psycho-emotional problems in later adolescence and adulthood, which could lead to the recurrence of abusive behavior. (NCPCA200 South Michigan Avenue, Seventeenth Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-4357 (312) 663-3520. FAX: (312) 939-8962. www.childabuse.org)

Over 2.6 million cases of suspected child maltreatment were reported in 1991 in the U.S., and in the same year more than 4 children a day died from maltreatment. (Healthy Families America Fact Sheet. Distributed by the National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse. 322 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60604-4357. (312) 663-3520.)

In the well-published school shootings that took place in 1997 in Mississippi, Kentucky, Oregon, and Arkansas, a total of 11 children were killed. 11 children die every day in the US from family violence, abuse, and neglect. (American Association of School Administrators. 1801 North Moore Street. Arlington, VA 22209. (703)528-0700. fax: (703)841-1543. www.aasa.org)

Young, inexperienced, and poor parents with limited resources are at a high risk of abusing and neglecting their children. (Preventing teenage pregnancy. Virginia Child Proteen Newsletter, (Fall, 1997). 52, 9-15.)

Every five hours a child dies from abuse or neglect, every 10 seconds a child is reported abused or neglected, every 1 minute a baby is born to a teen mother, and every 15 minutes a baby dies. (The Stand for Children Action Packet. (May, 1996). For copy, contact: Stand for Children. 1834 Connecticut Ave. NW. Washington, DC 20009. (800)663-4032. www.stand.org)

According to the 1998 Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Reports 3.1 million children were reported abused or neglected in 1996; nearly one million cases were confirmed. (January, 1998. CDF Report, p. 18. Children’s Defense Fund. 25 E Street NW. Washington, DC 20001. Cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org)

50% of homeless women and children are fleeing abuse. (The Good Samaritan Homeless Center for Women with Children. Spiritual Gift Ministries, Inc.1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite 500E, Atlanta, Ga. 30338. (770) 399-8810. www.helpforwomen.org)

"It is estimated that 3.3 million children will witness domestic violence this year." (Betsy McAlister-Groves, Director of the Child to Witness Violence Project)

40% of teenagers experience some form of abuse through dating relationships. (Working to End Domestic Violence, Transition House Pamphlet. Transition House. Box 530, Cambridge, MA 02238. (617) 354-2676).

One study showed that 90% of abuse incidents involving adolescents were preceded by some sort of argument or disagreement. (Coble, Y. D., Estes, E. H., & Mead, C. A. (1993) Adolescents as Victims of Family Violence. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270(15). 1850-1856.)

In 1995, federal, state, and local governments spent about 11.2 billion on child protection.

(The Future of Children. David and Lucille Packard Foundation. 300 Second Street, Suite 200. Los Altos, CA, 94022. (650) 948-7658. http://www.futureofchildren.org)

Alcohol is a factor in 70 percent of the abuse cases reported in 1993 according to Glenn E. Daly of the DSS. (Hill, Jean Laquidara. (1994, April 10). Group helps parents deal with stress. Sunday Telegram.)

Domestic Abuse and Women

According to the FBI, a woman is beaten in the United States every 10 seconds. (Working to End Domestic Violence [Pamphlet] Transition House. Box 530, Harvard Square Sta. Cambridge, MA 02138)

50% of homeless women and children are fleeing abuse. (The Good Samaritan Homeless Center for Women with Children. Spiritual Gift Ministries, Inc.1117 Perimeter Center West, Suite 500E, Atlanta, Ga. 30338. (770) 399-8810. www.helpforwomen.org)

In one study, 89% of homeless mothers had been physically and sexually abused, 67% during childhood. (Committee on Community Health Services. Health Needs of Homeless Children and Families. Pediatrics, 98 351-353.)

In 1990, the Bureau of National Affairs estimated that domestic violence cost employers 3-5 billion dollars a year in reduced output, health care costs, and absenteeism.(Woodward, N. H. (May 1998). Domestic abuse in the workplace. HR Magazine: p.116)

Domestic Abuse and Men

Recent study cites that 40% of counseling program non-completers are likely to re-assault compared to 28% of completers. (Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Multi-site Batterer Intervention System Evaluation. Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu.)

Study found that 65% of victims felt that they were better off due to counseling programs and 12% felt worse off. (Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Multi-site Batterer Intervention System Evaluation. Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu.)

Study found that those who abuse alcohol are three times more likely to re-offend than those who do not. (Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Multi-site Batterer Intervention System Evaluation. Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu.)

Study shows that men who do not complete batterer programs are 4 times as likely (20%) to be re-arrested for abuse than those who do complete the program (5%). (Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Multi-site Batterer Intervention System Evaluation. Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu.)

In 1990, the Bureau of National Affairs estimated that domestic violence cost employers 3-5 billion dollars a year in reduced output, health care costs, and absenteeism.(Woodward, Nancy Hatch. (May 1998). Domestic abuse in the workplace. HR Magazine: p.116)

Policy

The NCCAN offers 4 categories as definitions for the major types of maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and neglect (Coble, Y. D., Estes, E. H., & Mead, C. A. (1993) Adolescents as Victims of Family Violence. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270(15). 1850-1856.)

In 1996, a national hotline for women who experience battery was established with funding from the National Crime Bill. (Adams, David. Historical Timeline for Institutional Responses to Battered Women. For copies, write to Emerge. 2380 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.)

Local Statistics

In 1996, 27,219 children in the state of Massachusetts suffered from serious neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or sexual abuse. (October, 1998). Protecting children against abuse and neglect. The Boston Parents' Paper, pp. 45-46.)

In 1991, Massachusetts created new standards for the certification of batterer treatment programs, including increasing minimum program duration from 20 to 40 weeks. (Adams, David.[Director of Emerge—link to starter about Emerge???] (January 1995) Coerced Treatment: Contradiction in Terms? MPA Quarterly, 38,4, p.9)

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References

Adams, David. (January 1995) Coerced Treatment: Contradiction in Terms? MPA Quarterly, 38,4.

Adams, David. (July/August 1989). Identifying the Assaultive Husband in Court: You be the Judge. Boston Bar Journal, 23-25

Adams, David. Historical Timeline for Institutional Responses to Battered Women.

Burke, J., Chandy, J., Dannerback, A., Watt, J. W. (1998). The parental environment cluster model of child neglect: an integrative conceptual model. Child Welfare. 389-403.

Council on Scientific Affairs, American Medical Association. (1993) Adolescents as Victims of Family Violence. Journal of the American Medical Association, 270, 15. 1850-1855.

Feldman, M. A. (1998). Preventing child neglect: Child-care training for parents with intellectual disabilities. Infants and Young Children. Vol 11. Iss 2. 1-11.

Fleming, Michael F. and Oriel, Kathleen A (1998). Screening men for partner violence in a primary care setting: a new strategy for detecting domestic violence. Journal of Family Practice,46, 6.

For copies, write to Emerge. 2380 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.)

Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Evaluation of Mandatory Court Review of Batterer Program Compliance in Pittsburgh. www.mincava.umn.edu

Gondolf, Edward. (1997) Multi-site Batterer Intervention System Evaluation. Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu

Hall. L. A., Sachs, B., Rayens, M. K. (1998). Mothers’ potential for child abuse: the roles of childhood abuse and social resources. Nursing Research. Vol 47. Iss 2. 87-95.

Healthy Families America Fact Sheet. Distributed by the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse. 322 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL, 60604-4357. (312)663-3520.)

Healy, K., Smith, C., & O’Sullivan, Chris. (1998). Batterer Intervention: Program Approaches and Criminal Justice Strategies. U.S. Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice http://www.ncjrs.org

Hutchenson, J. J., Black, M. M., Talley, M., Dubowitz, H., Howard, J. B., Starr, R. H., & Thompson, B. S. (1997). Risk status and home intervention among children with failure-to-thrive: Follow-up at age 4. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 651-668.

Massachusetts Campaign for Children. (800-CHILDREN) Call for copy of complete report on child abuse and neglect.

O'Connell, R. D. (Summer, 1992). Healthy Beginnings. Caring, 20-24

The Stand for Children Action Packet. (May, 1996). For copy, contact: Stand for Children. 1834 Connecticut Ave. NW. Washington, DC 20009. (800)663-4032. www.stand.org

Wasik, B. H., & Roberts, R. N. (1994). Survey of home visiting programs for abused and neglected children and their families. Child Abuse & Neglect, 18, 271-283.

Whipple, E. E., Wilson, S. R. (1996). Evaluation of a parent education and support program for families at risk for physical child abuse. Families in Society – The Journal of Contemporary Human Services. Vol 77. Iss 4. 227-239.

Wiehe, V. R. (1997). Approaching child abuse treatment from the perspective of empathy. Child Abuse and Neglect. Vol 21. Iss 12. 1191-1204.

Woodward, Nancy Hatch. (May 1998). Domestic abuse in the workplace. HR Magazine: p.116

Working to End Domestic Violence [Pamphlet] Transition House. Box 530, Harvard Square Sta. Cambridge, MA 02138

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Related coverage
Abel, Katy. (1998, April). Words that hurt. The Boston Parents Paper.

Correia, Felicia C. (November 1997): Domestic violence can be cured. USA Today,126, 263

Eysaman, Ken. (1998. January 17). Under stress parents help parents. The Recorder.

Hill, Jean Laquidara. (1994, April 10). Group helps parents deal with stress. Sunday Telegram.

Iovanni, Sharon. (1994, July 2). Parenting in the 90’s. The Wilmington Suburban News.

LaBounty, Gloria. (1998, April). Group offers help, advice for parents. The Sun Chronicle.

Lee, Robert. (1997, March 15/16). Former abuser cited for courage. The Patriot Ledger.

Protecting children against abuse and neglect. The Boston Parents’ Paper (October 1998). 45-46.

Scull, Jennifer. (1996, October 17). Support group helps lower the stress level of parenting. Burlington Union. p. 7.

Watson, Bruce. (1995, March 15). Parents move from despair to self-confidence. Daily Hampshire Gazette. 15,16.

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