For struggling mothers and households, SAFEchild gives help throughout pandemic :: WRAL.com
For years SAFEchild has thrived in the personal connections it makes with the families it works with. With a focus on eliminating child abuse, staff across the county work to partner with thousands of children and parents through educational and support programs.
COVID-19 sank its usual personal surgeries in 2020, but Cristin DeRonja, its managing director, said SAFEchild’s services were needed even more as young mothers felt more isolated than ever and families were together for months.
“Bringing up children is a tough task every day,” said DeRonja, a mother of four. “And no one in their right mind was ready to be parents like that for such a long period of time. And I think that really needs to be taken into account by all communities. … You can have difficult moments as parents, they make parenting harder, but they usually don’t last for that length of time with the complexity that no one has a playbook for. “
At the beginning of the pandemc, SAFEchild employees quickly turned around to react and perform personal activities virtually. The non-profit organization serves families with children between the ages of 0 and 18. “In very simple terms,” said DeRonja, “I am only moved beyond the tears that we could have in our community.”
There are many programs from SAFEchild, but for individual parents they offer workshops, courses, and groups that aim to overcome negative parenting patterns and build healthier family relationships. “The gift SAFEchild gave was a regular, planned, inexpensive, and very accessible gift that encompasses technology issues and platforms for families to see another family – to socialize,” she said.
Here you can find out what SAFEchild has to offer and how you can get involved. All SAFEchild programs are free.
Mothers who support mothers
Mothers who support mothers is designed for mothers of babies struggling with perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. Here they can meet in a structured (and virtual) environment to discuss their concerns. A medical advisor and two trained moderators are available for each session.
“It’s an open, on-going support group that really focuses on the baby’s first year of life and the stage of parenting and development of the child,” DeRonja said.
The meetings take place on Tuesday morning and Thursday evening. Women can participate at any time.
DeRonja emphasizes that this program is intended for any mother who has problems whether it is her first, second or third baby and regardless of the resources of her family. And during COVID, studies show that many more mothers are facing mental health problems. A study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that 36% of pregnant and postpartum women had significant levels of depression. Before the pandemic it was 15% to 20% according to a WebMD article.
Check out this really touching video with Anna, a local mom who found support through Moms Supporting Moms. “The time between tears kept getting shorter,” she says.
WarmLine
SAFEchild also offers a WarmLine for mothers and families who need to get in touch. It’s not a 24/7 crisis line, DeRonja said, but it’s staffed by trained volunteers who can help with any concerns.
“Sometimes they’re just looking for support and they don’t know where to go,” she said.
You can call the WarmLine at 919-454-6946 or by text 910-898-2139.
One-on-one mentoring
Prior to COVID, a trained mother visited another mother and baby in the baby’s first year. It is still a home visits program but now the visits are virtual. However, volunteers can still deliver diapers, formulas, and books in a socially detached manner. SAFEchild has also partnered with The Green Chair Project to provide cribs as part of this program. “The mother sleeps better because the baby has a safe place to sleep that also helps everyone,” said DeRonja.
Mentors will contact mothers as needed, usually once a week or every two weeks.
Educational courses
Parents can also enroll in parenting courses that suit their specific needs and stage of parenting. In addition to Moms Supporting Moms, SAFEchild offers programs for men and families with school-age children. The Circle of Security program strengthens bonds between children and parents. The PLUS program helps parents communicate better with their children.
To learn more about these programs, DeRonja said it was best to fill them out Program registration form on the SAFEchild website.
Further information on all programs can be found in the SAFEchild website. If you’d like to help, DeRonja says that SAFEchild always needs experienced mothers to serve as mentors, especially bilingual ones who can help the Hispanic community.
Going forward, DeRonja said mental health needs to be a focus as we emerge from the pandemic.
“What I hope, as we continue down this path of vaccination, has placed so much emphasis on the physiological well-being of our world,” she said. “But we really need to focus on the psychological well-being of our world and what that has meant for us. I am very hopeful that rhetoric and narrative will balance out.”
Go Ask Mom caters to local mothers every Monday.
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