Juvenile Protective Association Receives Service Award

Posted on May 10, 2011 in Member

In 2010, more than 26,000 children in Illinois (including 7,000 in Cook County) were victims of child abuse or neglect, usually at the hand of their parents. 

The Juvenile Protective Association (JPA), a private, non-profit child welfare agency established in Chicago by Jane Addams in 1901, is on the front lines of preventing child abuse and preserving families. In fact, in 2010 JPA directly served more than 1,500 individuals in metropolitan Chicago. Using highly trained professionals, JPA ensures the safety and emotional security of vulnerable children through therapeutic and supportive services; influences public policy through research and education; and brings hope to families.

JPA provides high quality mental health and supportive services through the Building Bridges to North Lawndale (BBNL) demonstration project to distressed students in six North Lawndale elementary schools.  JPA partners with educators to help children take advantage of the educational opportunities provided by these North Lawndale schools so that they may reach their emotional, behavioral, cognitive and social potential. The BBNL project provides counseling and supportive services to distressed children identified by their teacher and/or parent as having emotional and/or social problems that interfere with learning and/or their well-being. 

Recently, JPA’s BBNL project was recognized with two awards.  JPA received distinction along with a $40,000 grant award from the George Davis Bivin Fund of the Cleveland Foundation for advancing children’s mental health services through the BBNL project.   JPA was nominated by the Chicago Community Trust and was granted this notable award by the Cleveland Foundation of Cleveland Ohio. In addition, an anonymous private family foundation announced a $60,000 two-year challenge grant award for the BBNL project.   All eligible grants designated to BBNL will be matched up to $30,000 a year. New grants will be matched 1:1 by the Foundation up to $7,500.  An Incremental grant from a past supporter will be matched 1:1 up to $7,500.  The Foundation defines an “incremental” donation as the contribution in excess of the donor’s most recent grant. 

Along with the BBNL project, JPA offers prevention and early intervention services for families who are at risk of abuse or neglect, onsite treatment and counseling, consultation to share direct service expertise and experience with public and private agencies involved in treating high risk children and families, and professional education and technical assistance to train professionals practicing in the areas of child welfare, early childhood and developmental psychology.

JPA is also a leader in researching the most effective means of serving children and families. Our agency helped design and is currently participating in a national, twenty-one year longitudinal study through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to learn about the ways that children grow in different families and environments, especially in households with a history of child maltreatment, poverty, substance abuse, and exposure to neighborhood violence.  JPA is the only non-university, non-hospital site involved in this important study.  A total of 1,500 children are enrolled nationally with 245 children (ages 16 to 19) being followed through JPA’s Capella Project.  Over the course of the project, JPA staff have written or co-written more than 34 publications, with another eight in press and three under review. These publications focus on child mental health service utilization and outcomes along with predictors of maltreatment. 

Please consider visiting www.juvenile.org to learn more about how the agency serves Chicago.