Children’s Services
SPARCC’s Children’s Advocates employ a variety of techniques to help children communicate their feelings. Sessions may include activities, conversation, group support, videos and other informational materials.
Services are offered at SPARCC’s outreach offices and at its shelter. Parents do not need to be a client of SPARCC for their children to receive services; a signed consent form is the only requirement for participation.
The goal of our services offered for children is to relieve emotional distress suffered by children in violent homes and to break the cycle of abuse. This is accomplished by helping children work through feelings, educating them about abuse, creating safety plans and by teaching them conflict resolution and anger management skills.
SPARCC also offer community referrals and services for children who have witnessed or experienced family violence.
Domestic violence affects children in different ways and children may display a variety of behaviors as a result.
Some potential responses may include:
- Impaired concentration
- Difficulty with school work
- Attention seeking behavior
- Accident prone behaviors
- Fear of failure
- Fear of attending school or other activities
- Acting overly responsible
SPARCC also provides prevention education presentations free of charge to local schools and community youth programs. These presentations address a veriety of topics through age-appropriate curriculum and include topics such as:
- Healthy Relationships
- Empathy
- Gender Roles
- Respect
- Conflict Resolution
- Self-esteem
- Bullying
- Internet Safety
- Dating Violence
- Sexual Assault Prevention
- Date Rape Drugs
For more information or to schedule a presentation for your class or community group, contact SPARCC’s Education Department at (941) 365-0208 ext. 121 or email sparccinfo@sparcc.net.
