The UAMS State Board of Education announced it will award more than $600,000 in grants to Arkansas nonprofits working to prevent domestic violence and child abuse in the state.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) on Monday announced more than $600,000 in grant funding to nearly a dozen programs helping prevent domestic violence and child abuse across the state.
The Arkansas Commission on Child Abuse, Rape and Domestic Violence (ACCARDV), a state organization based at UAMS, has donated the most funds since the grant program began three years ago.
The goal is to support specific projects and expand resources statewide for victims and their families, with the funds aimed at supporting nonprofits like Community Connections.
“We provide free sports and arts programs for children with special needs and provide support to their families,” said Courtney Leach, executive director of Community Connections.
“We’ve learned a lot about how children with disabilities are at risk. I mean, some of them are non-verbal, they have no ability to communicate. Children with low IQs or quite severe intellectual disabilities may not even realise they are being taken advantage of. So education is key,” she added.
The grant will fund a full-time child abuse prevention coordinator at Community Connections who will be dedicated to educating and supporting families.
“We feel like this project will save lives, change lives and usher in a whole new era of support for families raising children with special needs,” Leach explained.
Other grant funding from the commission will go toward a program that provides free legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, which Conway City Attorney Charles Finkenbinder said is badly needed.
“Removing the pressure to hire an attorney to navigate the legal process removes one of the biggest barriers for women to take steps to protect themselves,” Finkenbinder said. “Victims of domestic violence can file paperwork but may not understand what’s going to happen with it, who’s reading it, who has access to it. So a trained attorney with domestic violence experience can explain what’s going to happen next.”
Through 11 organizations across the state, their funds will support the same goal: helping victims and preventing abuse.
“It’s a world of difference. They know their rights and there are people fighting to protect them. That’s where the greatest pressure is, so they’re much more likely to get it done,” Finkenbinder said.
According to UAMS, these grants will fund the following organizations and projects:
The Arkansas Building Effective Services for Trauma (ARBEST) program, run with support from the UAMS Psychiatric Institute, received $98,942 to support a new collaboration with statewide Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) programs. The collaboration aims to develop a comprehensive training and support system to help CASA volunteers combat secondary traumatic stress and burnout. Volunteers work directly with children in foster care who are at high risk for abuse and neglect.
The Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence received $100,000 to establish a Parent-Child Legal Aid Program in two divisions of Pulaski County Circuit Court, which will provide free legal representation and expert testimony to help victims of domestic violence and their children obtain protective orders.
Grandma’s House Child Advocacy Center, which provides a safe place for child abuse victims and their families in Baxter, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Marion, Newton and Searcy counties, received $23,496 to partner with others in the community to provide prevention education to children, families and those who work with children.
Community Connections, a nonprofit that provides free after-school activities for children and youth with disabilities and their families, received $93,651 to add a full-time family and child abuse prevention coordinator and expand services and events.
Carter’s Crew, a nonprofit organization that serves youth ages 12-17 and their parents in central Arkansas, received $97,330 to add parenting classes, support groups, family nights, career readiness workshops, reading and financial literacy programs, intensive case management and access to a food and clothing pantry.
The White County Domestic Violence Prevention Center, which helps victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, received $30,599 to expand services to at-risk children and families in the area. Services include parenting classes for those facing custody issues, domestic violence charges or who need help rebuilding their homes.
Arkansas Children’s Hospital received $15,565 for an initiative that supports hospitalized patients who are victims of physical, sexual and other abuse, and provides education, support and referrals to other families with long-term hospitalizations. The initiative educates parents on infant health, safe sleep habits, shaken baby syndrome, home safety and the dangers of hot cars, and hopes to expand to the hospital’s Northwest Arkansas campus in its second year.
The Arkansas Legal Services Center received $50,000 to continue a program evaluating helpline callers so they can provide more legal representation to families at risk of child abuse. The funds will also be used for a monthly community helpdesk.
White River Women’s Shelter received $50,000 to continue its programs of crisis counseling, personal advocacy and case management for at-risk clients, provide classes on child abuse prevention, parenting skills, the impact of domestic violence on children and healthy family relationships, and host community awareness events.
Hanna Pregnancy Resource Center in El Dorado received $50,000 to provide parenting and life skills programs, reintegration programs for incarcerated parents and home visiting programs for parents.
The Cooper Anthony Marcy Child Advocacy Centers in Hot Springs and Benton received $50,000 to provide vital services to abused children and continue their elementary school programs in Saline, Garland, Grant and Montgomery counties, using the Monique Barr Foundation curriculum designed to protect children from bullying, child abuse and exploitation.
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