Prevention Services

Prevention Services

TRUTH, GAP, KIDS Personal Safety, FPRP, and BRIC

Since 1993, Manatee Children’s Services has offered nationally accredited programs with the mission of preventing child abuse, providing caregiver support, educating at-risk youth, and promoting healthy family functioning. 

Today’s teens and their families face many challenges, including personal safety concerns, human trafficking, social media pressures, pregnancy risks, communication struggles, and building healthy relationships. Through the TRUTH program, our Family Advocates mentor and educate youth ages 10 to 17 and their families, helping them make safe and healthy choices.

A key focus of TRUTH is teen pregnancy prevention. Research shows that children born to teenage parents may face higher risks of abuse due to increased stress and financial challenges. For the year ending September 30, 2025, youth in TRUTH achieved a 100% success rate in remaining free of first-time or repeat pregnancies within 18 months of completing the program.

By equipping teens and families with knowledge, skills, and ongoing support, TRUTH strengthens families, reduces risk factors for abuse, and helps build a safer future for children in our community.

GAP is a prevention program that supports kinship caregivers (grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives) who step in to care for children removed from unsafe homes due to abuse or neglect. These caregivers often take on this responsibility unexpectedly; GAP provides the guidance, resources, and community support they need to keep their families strong and stable.

Services include support groups with guest speakers, parenting workshops, counseling, peer groups for children, advocacy, connections to community resources, holiday food drives, warmline for guidance, and referrals to additional services. The goal is simple yet powerful: to keep children safe, prevent the need for foster care, and ensure caregivers have the tools and confidence to succeed.

During the year ending September 30, 2025, 99% of the 225 families served through GAP remained stable, free from abuse, and avoided entering or re-entering foster care.

One caregiver shared, “This group is an amazing team that goes above and beyond to make sure we are all cared for and doing well. GAP Advocates helped me through some of the hardest days of my life.”

By strengthening kinship families, GAP helps children remain connected to loved ones, reduces trauma, and builds safer, more stable families in our community.

KIDS Personal Safety delivers age-appropriate workshops to children in Manatee County schools, focusing on identification and prevention techniques to help protect them from abuse and threats to their well-being.

Our trained KIDS Advocates use engaging tools such as puppets, stories, videos, music, and role-playing to connect with young children. These interactive presentations are designed to help children recognize and remember the signs of abuse in a safe and supportive environment.

For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, KIDS Personal Safety conducted 672 presentations, reaching 13,474 students across Manatee County. As a result of these efforts:

547 children were empowered to report abuse or threats to their personal safety
21 children reported incidents of bullying
10 children initiated formal abuse reports

Our team provided follow-up support to all 21 children who reported bullying and assisted all 10 children in filing reports with the Florida Abuse Hotline.

“The KIDS Personal Safety lessons have had a great impact on our school by bringing forth those children who were too scared to speak up about bullying. It is so important to teach kids to report bullying if they see it or hear about it and hopefully creating a safe environment for all children in our elementary school.” – Manatee County schoolteacher (anonymous)

These programs empower parents by helping them increase their parenting knowledge, reduce stress, and build on their existing strengths. Through education, coaching, and community connections, parents gain access to valuable resources and develop practical skills that help create safer, more stable homes for their children. By strengthening family confidence and resilience, our programs work to reduce risk factors for child abuse and support healthier, more positive family relationships.

Through BRIC, a 16-week Nurturing Parenting Program, caregivers work with a parenting specialist or therapist to create individualized success plans tailored to their family’s needs. All participants complete Darkness to Light: Stewards of Children, a nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention and personal safety training.

Through FPRP, families in the process of reunification receive parenting education in both English and Spanish. Each family partners with a parenting coach to develop a personalized success plan, with the goal of meeting all program objectives within three to nine months.

For the year ending September 30, 2025, the program served 88 high-risk parents. Of those, 66 parents completed the program and had no verified findings of child abuse in the home after finishing services, resulting in a 75% success rate. Of the 22 parents who did not meet the program outcome by the end of the fiscal year, 11 were still actively enrolled and making progress, while 11 left the program before completion.

Long-term follow-up results yielded strong success. Among 98 high-risk parents who completed the program 18 months earlier, 95 parents continued to have no verified findings of child abuse in the home, resulting in a 97% long-term success rate.

By empowering parents with education, coaching, and community support, our parenting programs help strengthen families, reduce risk factors for abuse, and create safer, more stable homes for children.

How to help our prevention programs

Art and recreational supplies for family bonding (craft kits, board games, building kits, etc.)
New socks, shoes, and underwear (all sizes)
School uniforms (all sizes)
New household items for reunified families (dishes, bedding, and furniture)
Gift cards for children and families to purchase personal items
Gift cards for family experiences/outings
Gift cards for groceries and gas
General monetary donations for unrestricted funds to support program operating expenses

MCS provides a full spectrum of programs serving over 12,000 children and families annually. Since its inception in 1977 as the Manatee County’s first and only emergency shelter for abused children in foster care, MCS has grown to offer programs in treatment, prevention, intervention, and residential services.

Have a question? Need more Information?

Contact

941-345-1200

Prevention Services

Prevention Services