Programs
The Chadwick Center provides a continuum of services with an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to healing intervention and family support. Outcome evaluation is an integral component of all services.
Forensic and Medical Services
Children who may have been sexually or physically abused or witnesses to violence are seen by professionals at the Chadwick Center’s Forensic and Medical Services program, located on the Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego campus. San Diego County law enforcement agencies and the County Department of Health and Human Services regularly refer these children to this program. The aim of the Forensic and Medical Services program is to assist the children to provide verbal or physical evidence of the possible abuse they suffered or witnessed. There are two main types of Forensic and Medical Services offered by the Chadwick Center: forensic interviews and forensic medical exams.
Kids and Teens in Court Program
In cooperation with the Family Protection Unit at the District Attorney's Office the Juvenile Dependency Court, and the Victim Advocacy Program, the Kids and Teens in Court program helps children, teenagers, and their caregivers who are not suspected of abuse learn how the courtroom and possible trial works. Program goals for the children and teenagers include reducing their stress and anxiety; improving their coping skills by teaching them to manage their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors; and making it possible for them to effectively testify in court and gain control of the court experience. Program goals for these caretakers include increasing caregiver coping skills, and allowing the adults to manage their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in order to fully support their child or teen through the court process and recovery.
Professional Education Services
The Chadwick Center offers accredited Professional Education to those involved in fields of prevention, investigation, diagnosis, treatment, and prosecution of child abuse and family violence. Since its beginning in 1976, the Chadwick Center has trained more than 100,000 professionals from all fifty states and over forty countries.
Major educational activities include the annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment, the Clinical Training Program for visiting professionals, the weekly multidisciplinary Child Protection Team Case Conference, and various local, county, and state trainings funded through contracts.
Trauma Counseling Services
The Trauma Counseling Program is committed to treating the after-effects of a child’s traumatic experience. In addition, the program works to support the recovery of family members and to improve their ability to support the child. Interventions include individual, group, and family therapy. The staff of the Trauma Counseling Program is primarily composed of Licensed Clinical Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Psychologists. The staff’s expertise is in treating childhood traumatic events including neglect; physical and sexual abuse; sexual assault; domestic, school, and community violence; and natural disasters. Treatment for the psychological aspects of medical trauma and chronic pain is also available.
Evidence Based Initiatives
The Chadwick Center leads and participates in several initiatives funded by state and federal grants to assist professionals in many fields by providing tools that inform about evidence-based practices, trauma in children, and child maltreatment reporting, prevention and treatment:
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare (CEBC) provides child welfare professionals with easy access to vital information about selected child welfare related programs. The primary task of the CEBC is to inform the child welfare community about the research evidence for programs being used or marketed in California. This project is funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP).
The Child Abuse Mandated Reporter Training Project is funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP). The goal of this project is to have training available for mandated child abuse reporters so they may carry out their responsibilities properly.
The Chadwick Center created the intervention model, Assessment-Based Treatment for Traumatized Children: A Trauma Assessment Pathway (TAP) with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).
The Safe Kids California Project (SKCP) will implement SafeCare® across multiple California counties. SafeCare® is an evidence-based intervention designed to address the child abuse and/or neglect of young children ages 0-5 years.
The Chadwick Trauma-Informed Systems Project (CTISP) will support the evolution of public child welfare agencies into trauma-informed organizations to better serve victims of child maltreatment while also supporting the agencies’ efforts to serve as facilitators of change in their communities. This project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN).