Program Description:

Kids’ Turn San Diego strives to empower children and teens to articulate their thoughts and feelings about their family situations, teach them coping skills and educate them that their parents’ behavior is not their fault or responsibility. In addition, they work with the families to help strengthen and rebuild parent-child relationships that have been damaged through exposure to domestic violence and high parental conflict.  Their Creating Brighter Futures for Children Project consists of their Family Workshop for Separated and Divorced Families and their Counseling for Children Program.

Results:

Throughout the year, Kids’ Turn San Diego offered 12 Family Workshops serving 237 children and 375 parents, for a total of 612 participants and 381 families. In addition, 19 children actively participated in counseling services. This surpassed the original projected population to be served for this year which was 590 children and parents.

The overall response to these programs was excellent, with 91% of the parents indicating positive interactions with their children during the program and 97% reporting that they learned new information/skills.  Furthermore, 98% of the children who attended all four sessions of the Family Workshop stated that they learned new ways to express their feelings, that they recognized that their parents’ behaviors are not their fault, and that other children also live in separated families – they are not alone. 

Throughout the project, Kids’ Turn collaborates with the San Diego Superior Court Family Judges.  These judges support the Family Workshop program by directly answering questions posed by children ages 6-11, attending teen group meetings once a month as well as attending the graduation event.

Future Plans:

Given its excellent reputation within the community, Kids’ Turn San Diego receives many community referrals.  They will continue to seek grant support and donations to ensure they have the available resources to provide tuition scholarships so that money is never a barrier to participation. They are thrilled to report that they were recently awarded a grant to create a First Responders Family Support Program.