|

In 1978 the problem of child sexual abuse was just beginning to
emerge from the shadow of the dominant public issue of physical
abuse and neglect. Sandra Baker, founder and Executive Director
of Child and Family Institute (CFI), coordinated with Deputy District
Attorney Ken Peterson (now Judge Peterson), and Child Protective
Services to provide a treatment program for intrafamilial child
sexual abuse. Other mental health professionals joined Ms. Baker
providing group therapy services to these families referred by the
criminal justice system.
The agency was incorporated in 1980 as the Sacramento Child Sexual
Abuse Treatment Program (SCSATP). That same year it was awarded
its first funding, an $80,000 federal grant to expand treatment
services for intrafamilial child sexual abuse families, and to develop
a Community Response Protocol to coordinate the systems response.
As we began to also receive referrals from the Child Welfare System
for victims and non-offending parents, a separate program for these
clients was established with funding from The Office of Child Abuse
Prevention (OCAP). When the federal grant ended, county funds were
allocated to continue services for intrafamilial child sexual abuse.
A juvenile sex offender treatment program was initiated in 1984,
supported by funding from Office of Criminal Justice Planning (OCJP)
in 1985. Outreach programs were developed for pregnant/parenting
teens in the Sacramento School District, and for homeless children
at Sacramento Area Emergency Housing Center (SAEHC) and Mustard
Seed. A Prevention and Education program also took shape, including
an Information and Referral phone line, a parenting booklet, and
primary prevention workshops in 6 North Sacramento District schools.
As the agency expanded its expertise and looked to the future, the
name was changed to Child and Family Institute to reflect the ongoing
concern for children and families, and the professional standards
for clinical and empirical accomplishment. CFI had established a
national reputation as one of the leading sexual abuse programs
in the country. A Training Center component was established and
provided multi-disciplinary training seminars and workshops to professionals
from throughout Northern California.
That same year, the CFI clinical program expanded again with OCJP
funding for services to "abuse-reactive" children (pre-teen
children reacting to their own abuse by victimizing other children).
In 1996 Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT)
funding for outreach services to local homeless shelters and transitional
housing programs was approved by the Sacramento County Department
of Mental Health, increasing the magnitude and diversity of services
to this high-risk population. In 1998 CFI received two OCJP grants,
one for victims of Neglect, and one for victims of child Trauma.
In 1999 CFI received OCJP funding to be the Child Abuse Treatment
Specialists (CATS) for three Family Resource Centers participating
in the Birth and Beyond prevention program.
|