The Problem of Child Abuse
The line between being a frustrated parent and an abusive parent is often very thin. Parents are the most prevalent perpetrators of child abuse, representing approximately 70% of cases in Oregon. A child with a history of abuse is more likely to develop substance abuse and mental health problems, do poorly in school, and get involved in violent and illegal activities.

Parents Anonymous® Services
Morrison’s Parents Anonymous® program focuses on preventing child abuse and neglect by strengthening families, providing hope and resources when parenting gets tough. Our services include:

• A Parent Support Line (503-258-4557), which provides emotional support and crisis intervention for parents throughout the Portland metro area. Callers can explore effective parenting techniques, receive information on child development, obtain referrals to community resources, and have a safe place to confidentially discuss the challenges and successes in their families.
  
• Free, weekly support groups for parents that are co-led by parent leaders and professional facilitators. Parents give and receive support and suggestions from each other, discussing issues such as discipline, family communication, child development, parental roles, and methods for managing the everyday stresses of parenting.
  
  Teena shares how the parent groups saved her as a parent and a person
  
• While parents attend the weekly group meetings, their children participate in the Nurturing Children’s Program, which uses a structured curriculum to help children increase their ability to cope with family stress and improve their positive communication skills, particularly in the area of conflict resolution.
  
  Sixteen-year-old Phaedra shares how Parents Anonymous® helped her family

National Recognition
Morrison’s program is the Oregon affiliate of the national organization, which has a network of 1,071 Parents Anonymous® programs throughout the US and in Canada and Bermuda. On a national level, research has confirmed the effectiveness of the Parents Anonymous® model in preventing child abuse, reducing juvenile delinquency, and increasing the resiliency of parents and their children.

Parent Leadership
Parent Leadership is the cornerstone of the Parents Anonymous® model. Morrison trains parents to co-lead the Parent Support Groups, develop leadership skills, and become advocates for their own family and families in the greater community. Parents Anonymous® Parent Leaders currently serve on state and county-wide child abuse prevention committees, and several recently traveled to Washington DC for the Parents Anonymous® National Parent Leadership Conference. An Oregon Parent Leader was recently selected to serve on a panel about parent leadership at an upcoming national conference in Chicago.

Innovative Partnerships
Morrison has developed innovative partnerships to bring Parents Anonymous® services to specific groups of parents. We partner with both the Salem YMCA and Woodmere Elementary in SE Portland on Spanish-speaking Parent and Children’s Groups, with the Portland YWCA on a support group for women who have been recently released from prison, and with Volunteers of America on a support group for mothers in their residential drug and alcohol treatment program.

Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteers are instrumental to Morrison’s Parents Anonymous® program. Parent Group Facilitators provide encouragement and a welcoming environment for parents and Children’s Group Specialists supervise activities for kids to build self-confidence and develop problem-solving skills. Training is provided. For more information, contact Ruth Taylor at 503-258-4568.

In their own words, Parents Anonymous® parent and child participants share their experiences