www.whatyoudo.info
Welcome to the Violence Free Families section of the Community Partnership Website. Violence Free Families is a coalition comprised of over 42 different organizations that works to decrease the devastating consequences of all forms of family violence including child abuse and neglect through the effective use of community resources.
If you are in need of immediate help please call
1- 417- 864 - SAFE
for referral to immediate local resources
Our current campaign, “What You Do Today, Affects Their Tomorrow” is designed to help you find a way to prevent abuse or neglect.
Warning signs of abuse or neglect in children
- Regression including bedwetting, thumb sucking, clinging, aggression and/or bullying
- Phobias, appear immobilized by their emotions i.e. fear, anger, guilt
- Anxiety disorders, i.e, insomnia, panic attacks, stress related diarrhea, eating disorders
- Low self esteem, view selves as bad
- Depression
- Misplaced Anger
- Poor academic skills, often poor attendance
- Pre-occupied, day-dreaming, difficulty attending to class
- Poor problem solving skills
- Emotional numbing
- Obsessive focus on violent events
- Low level of empathy for other children
- Unkept, poorly dressed by community standards
- Malnourished
- Problems with authority
Click on the main categories below for more information.
More About Violence Free Families
Violence Free Families continues to further their mission of "working together to prevent, reduce, and treat family violence through the effective use of community resources." Over the years, this group, made up of over forty different agency, organization, and business representatives, has addressed domestic violence through a variety of tasks, programs, and initiatives.
OUR MISSION
To work to prevent, reduce and treat family violence through effective use of community resources.
GOALS
- Identify the needs in our Community related to family violence and take action to meet those needs
- Ensure the availability and accessibility of a network of interventions that provide safety, healing, education, treatment and support for victims and their families to help break the cycle of family violence; this network should go beyond "agency services" to include community, cultural and religious institutions.
- Fully utilize the community’s civil and criminal justice system to protect victims, hold abusers accountable for their behavior and enforce society's intolerance for family violence.
- Engage the whole community in prevention efforts designed to change norms, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors and social conditions that lead to family violence by raising the level of public and professional awareness and understanding of family violence issues.
MEETINGS
Community Partnership Offices,
330 N. Jefferson,
Springfield, MO
3rd Wednesday of the Month
8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
For more information call Amy Evans,
Administrator of Prevention Services
Community Partnership 888-2020
Violence Free Families Coalition Members
Previous efforts include:
- Creation and publication of "SAFE Tear-off" sheet to advertise the violence hotline
- Establishment of a Batterer's Information and Referral hotline
- Development and funding for Public Service Announcements to increase awareness of:
- child abuse and neglect,
- the link between violence and substance abuse,
- advertising the Batterer's Information and Referral hotline
- Co-host the Dept. of Health and Human Services Community Forum on domestic violence
- Partnering with YMCA to give Family Memberships to qualifying foster/adoptive families
- Organize "A Place To Grow," the annual Greene County Foster Parent Recognition Event
- Participation in a variety of community awareness events, expositions, and health fairs
- Representation on the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence
- Development of workplace violence prevention programs/trainings
- Information, referral and collaboration regarding domestic violence/prevention of family violence
- Provide information and education at monthly Foster Parent Support Groups
- Development and distribution of a brochure and guide for small businesses, "Domestic Violence Comes to the Workplace"
- Presentations at annual Safety and Health Conferences, sponsored by Safety Council of the Ozarks
- Host the annual Greene County Foster Parent Recognition Event
- Creation and maintenance of a traveling display to aid in the recruitment of foster parents
- Program to utilize hairdressers and massage therapists in prevention/awareness of domestic violence in their clients
- Representative membership on the Governor's Task Force on Domestic Violence
- Creation and distribution of "When Push Comes To Shove" educational video
- Collaborative partner in cooperation with the Prosecuting Attorney Office for the "Healing Homes: Uniting Communities Against Domestic Violence" Conference
- Collaborative partner in cooperation with Ozarks Technical College for the "Workplace Violence 101" Conference