Chadwick Center for Children and Families

Description

Mission Statement
We will promote the health and wellbeing of abused and traumatized children and their families We will accomplish this through excellence and leadership in evaluation treatment prevention education advocacy and research

Our Vision
To create a world where children and families are healthy and free from abuse and neglect

History

Brief History
In 1975 a group of professionals from law enforcement child welfare probation social work medicine and others gathered in San Diego with one thing in mindto create a better and coordinated community response to child abuse and neglect From this visionary group ideas became a reality in the founding of the San Diego County Child Abuse Coordinating Council the Child Protection Team for child abuse case reviews and what is now the Chadwick Center at Rady Childrens Hospital San Diego

The new hospitalbased child protection program led by Dr David Chadwick formally began its journey to provide quality programs and services for abused children in January 1976

In the beginning the program was simple with few staff providing physical abuse medical evaluations and a prevention program with parent aide home visitors January 1979 was a defining moment in our growth when the Center began a contract with the City of San Diego to provide medical evaluations for victims of child sexual abuse

So much happened in the intervening 35 years many exciting creative innovative ideas services and programs Over that time span funding dictated a variety of programs However Evaluation Treatment Intervention and Education remain the core programs at the Center The Chadwick Center is a fully accredited member of the National Childrens Alliance