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Mission: to prevent abuse and neglect in children birth through four by partnering with caregivers committed to strengthening their families. |
CRN’s program is based on the nationally successful Relief Nursery model, providing intensive child and family interventions to prevent child abuse and provide support and encouragement to parents with challenging life circumstances. The model includes center-based therapeutic classes and respite child care, early parent education, support for positive and nurturing parent / child interactions and regular home visits. Voluntary parent participation, combined with individualized goals, have the most positive result. Emphasis on the parent-child relationship is the key to success.
| Since 2001, CRN has provided family support services - at no cost - to high-risk Multnomah county families. In 2007, 211 children and 159 families were served by Children's Relief Nursery. |
The earlier in a child’s life that intervention is started, the more effective it is because providing safe and secure nurturing is the key to learning and social-emotional development. When parents and caregivers show responsive early care, critical bonding occurs and babies thrive. Responsive caregiving means meeting the child's needs for focused attention, understanding cues, giving warm touches, as well as basic physical needs. Parents in our program learn that positive interactions with their child greatly affects his or her later capacity for compassion, self regulation, control over emotions, learning and cooperative behavior. Quality care and secure attachments are the building blocks for healthy brain development that promotes each child aspiring to their full potential.
CRN incorporates all of these elements in its program services, which are offered in English and Spanish.
Mental Health Clinicians provide assessments for clients, consult with classroom staff on each child’s social-emotional health and development, and provide child/family therapy and parent consultation. Clinicians utilize Child/Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), a relationship-based model of therapy designed to improve security of attachment relationships.
Case managers regularly visit families in their homes to work on identified goals. Focusing on the child / parent relationship and the child’s development, they provide supportive encouragement for positive and nurturing child/parent interactions. Families are given information and referrals to community resources and case managers communicate with families regularly to help create and support a stable, safe and secure household.
Weekly mentoring groups teach parents skills to create healthier interactions with their children. CRN uses the evidence-based curriculum, “Make Parenting a Pleasure,” which provides tools for reducing stress and teaches self-care, stress/anger management, communication, positive discipline and child development.
Case managers and volunteers provide a safe environment for children experiencing developmental challenges to participate in supportive and therapeutic social, emotional, physical, emerging language and cognitive activities.
Parents and their babies (newborn to nine months and 10 months to 15 months) meet in small groups to learn new skills, build and enhance the parent/child relationship, share social support and reduce social isolation. The parent/infant class can include pregnant women in their third trimester.
Parents needing time to take care of personal or family matters, or who are at risk of being overwhelmed and unable to positively parent their children, can voluntarily place their child in emergency child care for several hours to a full day per week.
The Federal Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has designated CRN as a “0-3 Traumatic Stress Center.” CRN collaborates with community organizations and other centers nationwide, as part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), to define “best practices” and evidenced based interventions for young children who have been exposed to trauma. Click here to read the latest 0-3 Trauma Grant Newsletter.
Our program is voluntary. Parents or caregivers with challenging life circumstances and multiple risk factors are invited to participate in the services CRN provides. Qualifying families are under significant stress and in need of support, intervention and respite services. CRN families frequently live below the poverty line, reside in North Portland, and have a least one child below the age of five. Mothers who are in their third trimester of pregnancy are also eligible if they meet the other qualifying criteria.
We collaborate with other public and private organizations to reduce the risk factors of abuse and neglect. CRN partners include:
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Bradley Angle House
Caring Community of North Portland
Carpenters Local #247
Cascadia
Children's Justice Alliance
Portland Impact
Early
Head Start Family Center of Portland
Federal Department of Human Services (DHS); Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Desarrollo Integral de la Familias
DHS Children, Adult and Family Services
DHS Child Welfare
Junior League of Portland
LifeWorks NW Family and Community Alliance
Listos Para Aprender
Medical Teams International
Morrison Child and Family Services
Multnomah County Commission on Children Families & Community
Multnomah County
Health Department
Multnomah Early Childhood Project – Early Childhood Special Ed (MECP)
Native American Rehabilitation Association (NARA)
Oregon Association of Relief Nurseries
Pathfinders of Oregon/Center for Family Success
Peninsula Children’s Center
Program Hispano
Portland State University’s Graduate School of Social Work
Portland State University’s Infant and Toddler Mental Health Certificate program
The University of Portland’s Nursing program
Women of Vision
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