Family Matters

The Family Center is committed to improving and enhancing family life.  Child abuse and neglect affect children of every age, race, and income level.  However, research has identified many risk factors associated with an increased risk of child abuse and neglect:  young mothers and fathers unprepared for the responsibilities of raising a child; overwhelmed single parents with little or no family support, and families placed under stress by poverty, divorce, or a child’s disability are all at greater risk.  Some families are stressed by worries about employment, health, substance abuse, mental health, domestic violence, or are simply unaware of how to care for their children’s basic needs.  Or perhaps a parent was abused as a child, thereby increasing the chances of being an abuser.  The Family Center tries to provide the support and education to parents with small children to reverse and correct these risk factors, and our services are free.

Positive Parenting Skills: Classes are provided at the center to anyone interested in learning skills and tools to become more effective parents.  This is a three part workshop ranging from infancy to adolescence.  These classes are free to the general public.

Case Management: Our case managers work with individual families inside the home.  This puts the staff at risk at times, but research proves that the best way to assess risk factors AND compliance is to be within the home on a regular basis.  Services include parenting skills training, budgeting skills, and life skills training.  These families are also included in social activities throughout the year.  The goal of this program is to keep children healthy and safe while teaching parents skills needed to have a healthy home environment.

Kids on the Block: We have a puppet show targeting third through fifth grades which explains abuse and how to report it.  In short, we teach children the difference between safe and unsafe touches.  We offer this to all schools, churches, and organizations in Maury County.

The Money Wheel: We provide a budgeting class bi-monthly that is free to the public.  It is required for those using our Good Samaritan program excessively, but the skills are just simply practical budgeting. 


Nearly five children die of child abuse in the United States every single day.  Three out of four are under the age of four, with no possible way to defend themselves.  There are four kinds of child abuse:  neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual.  For more information, you can browse to the Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee (PCAT) website by clicking here. 

If you are aware of child abuse, PLEASE REPORT by calling 1-877-237-0004.