DOWNEY - Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center awarded a $25,000 grant to the Community Family Guidance Center in Cerritos to support their parenting program that aims to reduce child abuse.The program works to increase family communication, improve relationships, reduce parental stress, and teach effective limit setting. The center works heavily with children who act out in school or at home. With the grant, the center will "use a whole-family approach to help parents and children achieve their goals of improving family relationships and decreasing the risk of abuse and neglect." Free parent and child group sessions will be held weekly - in English and Spanish - and participants will receive short-term counseling while receiving access to case managers. The Community Family Resource Center works in conjunction with Downey Unified, ABC Unified, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified and Bellflower Unified school districts, which will provide referrals and space to conduct the programs.

********** Published: April 12, 2012 - Volume 10 - Issue 52