If your child has experienced abuse or has been exposed to violence, the staff of Safe Places can help.
Our organization Incorporated in Arkansas in 2002 as The Center for Healing and Hope with the following mission and vision:
Supportive Services for Families and Other Persons in a Child's Life
Our mission focuses on creating safe homes, safe schools and safe communies in which children and youth can grow and thrive.
In order to accomplish safety, protection and well-being for our community's children, we know that we must also work with a child's "influencers."
With this goal in mind, we also work with the families and/or caregivers of the children in our programs, as well as other adults who are a part of the child's circle of influence. those individuals may be teachers, counselors, clergy, neighbors, extended family members, case workers, probation officers, school counselors, youth leaders, mentors . . .any person who has a place in the child's world.
We provide assistance to any person that is concerned with the best interest of the children and young people who are our clients.
Our staff includes individuals with years of experience in working wth victims of domestic and sexual violence, child abuse and other forms of violence. Staff have specialized expertise in counseling, trauma therapy, pastoral care, support group facilitation, criminal justice advocacy and the mental health issues that sometimes affect victims of violence.
Angela McGraw, CVAP-A, Violence Prevention and Intervention Coordinator, is a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Department of Justice National Victim Assistance Academy. She is an experienced domestic violence advocate with extensive knowledge of issues related to domestic and sexual violence, as well as child protection. She provides violence prevention education through our Transforming Anger, Seeing Red, Quit It! and Expect Respect Programs, and also provides advocacy and support for victims of violence.
Kerri Michael Sernel, MSW, is our Community Advocacy Coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, and received her Master's Degree in social work from the University of North Carolina. Kerri is an experienced advocate for victims and has done extensive work to ensure that the rights of victims are our community's priority. She has served in many capacities in serving victims of violence including victim assistance, support group facilitation and coordinating volunteer advocates.
Lisette Yang holds degrees in the field of public relations, communication and graphic design. She serves as our Latino Outreach Coordinator, and is involved with many Latino families who have experienced victimization. She provides an extremely valuable compoent of our program, and is in high demand for providing advocacy services to non-English speaking persons in our community. Lisette has a full case load, receiving referrals from a variety of agencies including local law enforcement, local medical facilities, the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Children and Family Services, and the Mexican Consulate..Lisette is also an experienced translator and is responsible for our curriculum, brochures, and other materials being available for non-English speaking families.
Sabra Miller brings a wealth of expertise in community health, having earned degrees in Health Education with an emphasis in Community Health Promotion. The ability to approach violence as a public health epidemic will enable Sabra to bring an experienced, informed approach to the issue of victimization. She has served as an advocate for victims of sexual abuse, and will be filling a great need in our agency in the area of advocacy. Sabra will be working as our Child Advocate, and will also work with the families of children and youth.
