MSPCC’s Executive Director Nancy Allen Scannell and myself in 2019.
In 2008, I proudly joined the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC). I have valued my time with this vital organization whose work serves to prevent traumatic events for children, and to help those who have already been affected by trauma heal and thrive. MSPCC’s public policy efforts strive to ensure that all children across Massachusetts receive the care they need.
Since becoming a Board member, MSPCC has had many notable accomplishments, here are a few:
- In 2012, MSPCC joined forces with legislative leaders to pass CHINS (Child in Need of Services) reform, ensuring community-based services for at-risk children and the establishment of Family Resource Centers across the Commonwealth;
In 2014, MSPCC spearheaded legislation to establish the Massachusetts Legislative Task Force on the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. - In 2019, MSPCC partnered with like-minded organizations to strengthen and expand the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce in Massachusetts.
- In 2021, MSPCC launched a pilot program and successfully implemented an enhanced foster care system that provides Central Massachusetts-based foster parents with trauma coaching and a peer support program.
In addition to these achievements, each year MSPCC works directly with thousands of families to provide support and respite to foster families, help young first-time parents under age 23 create stable, nurturing environments for their children, and offer a variety of evidence-based and trauma informed therapeutic models to support children of all ages who have mental health needs.
MSPCC’s signature fundraising event, Turning Points, will be held on Thursday, April 4th at the Fairmont Copley Plaza and will mark my last day as a member of the MSPCC Board of Advisors. I invite you to join Barbara and me at the Fairmont Copley Plaza to raise a glass and/or please consider a donation to this incredible organization.