Our Mission
The Initiative is dedicated to the prevention of all forms of child sexual abuse throughout the state of New York through advancing research, policy, education and practice. We are organized as a cooperative initiative to provide state-of-the-art theory and research-based knowledge to inform, guide, and empower the public, professionals, and all those who serve children and families at all levels and sectors of society, toward the elimination of child sexual abuse. The Initiative is comprised of leaders in the field of child maltreatment, child protection, and promotion of well-being in children and families.
Our Members
Amy J.L. Baker, PhD
Director of Research
Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection of the New York Foundling
Vince J. Palusci, MD, MS
Professor of Pediatrics
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Leslie Brand, MA
Assistant Vice President of the
Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection The New York Foundling
Mary L. Pulido, PhD
Executive Director
World Childhood Foundation
Elissa J. Brown, PhD
Executive Director of Child HELP Partnership and Professor of Psychology
St. John’s University
Trevor Raushi, MS
Assistant Vice President, Child Abuse Prevention Program
New York Foundling
Timothy Hathaway
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse New York
Janet Rosenzweig, PhD, MPA
Author of The SexWise Parent
Jacqueline L Holloway, PhD
Director of Research and Evaluation
The New York Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children
Mel Schneiderman, PhD
Founder, the Vincent J. Fontana
Center for Child Protection of the New York
Foundling
Aaron J. Miller, MD, MPA
Assistant Vice President, Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment
New York City Health + Hospitals
Sponsoring Organizations
New York Foundling's Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection
The mission of the Vincent J. Fontana Center for Child Protection is to prevent child maltreatment and promote the well-being of at-risk children through advocacy, professional development, public education, research and partnering with other like organizations and national leaders. The New York Foundling, in the tradition of openness and compassion of its sponsors, the Sisters of Charity, helps children, youth, adults, and families in need through services, supports, and advocacy that strengthen family and community and help each individual reach their full potential. For more information, click here. The Fontana Center also sponsors the Psychological Maltreatment Alliance and the National Initiative to End Corporal Punishment.
The New York State Children’s Alliance, Inc.
(NYSCA) is the membership organization and statewide coalition representing forty-seven (47) Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) and Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) which provide services to abused children in 61 counties and four tribal nations throughout New York State. NYSCA began in 1996 as an informal, statewide network to provide a forum for information sharing, networking, and peer support for CACs and MDTs. In 2010, NYSCA became an independent 501(c) 3 non-profit organization and achieved full accreditation in 2012 by the National Children’s Alliance signifying delivery of services at the highest level. The Mission of the New York State Children’s Alliance, Inc. is to promote the development, growth, and continuation of Multidisciplinary Teams and Child Advocacy Centers throughout New York State in order to provide healing and justice to abused and neglected children, and their families. NYSCA’s goal is to provide high quality, discipline-specific, training programs and services and serve as a resource and support to CACs and MDTs. For more information click here.
Child HELP Partnership at St. John’s University (CHP)
Child Help Partnership (CHP) is a program within St. John’s University founded by Dr. Elissa Brown. The Child HELP Partnership (CHP) mission is to better protect and heal children and caregivers from trauma and its emotional impact. The name, Child HELP Partnership, reflects an integrated approach with four areas of focus: (1) Healing families after trauma using leading- edge, evidence-based therapies, (2) Empowering multicultural communities to access mental health, (3) Learning programs to educate mental health and other professionals about trauma, and (4) Public education for parents for parents and other caregivers. For more information, click here.
Prevent Child Abuse New York
Prevent Child Abuse New York is the only private, nonprofit agency serving the entire state whose single mission is to prevent child abuse in all its forms. Through public awareness, training and technical assistance, and policy work and advocacy our work supports the healthy development and prosperity of New York's children, families, and communities. Without Prevent Child Abuse New York, countless struggling and isolated parents might never find the help they
need--community programs that we know prevent child abuse might not even exist--our State's response to protecting children would dwindle. Its mission is to prevent all forms of child maltreatment. For more information, click here.
The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Founded in 1875, The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NYSPCC) is the first child protection agency in the world. The NYSPCC’s founders wrote the basic tenets of child protection laws in the United States. Today, The NYSPCC remains dedicated to reducing the incidences and impacts of child abuse and neglect through prevention programs that improve the safety of children and intervention programs that help children and families heal. Over the
past 145 years, the agency has served more than two million children. For more information, click here.
SexWise Parenting
SexWise Parenting Educational Resources was established in 2010 by Dr. Janet Rosenzweig, a trained sex educator with three decades experience working with child sexual abuse. The mission is to support parents to be the primary sexuality educators of their children, based on the belief that accurate information and open communication about sexuality are critical protective factors in promoting sexual health and safety, helping to prevent victimization and perpetration. For more information, click here.