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Reports
The Coalition has been tracking data about Washington County's children since 2001. Our first report, published in 2003, identified 39 gaps in services and laid the groundwork for much of the Coalition's future efforts.
Our latest report, ...and how are the children?, contains the most recent information available about the specific needs of children and families in Washington County as well as progress to improve services over the past 3 years.
Among the report's key findings:
- Nearly 1 of every 5 county children qualifies for subsidized school lunches, child care, and health care.
- Homelessness among area families is rising: local school districts reported 257 students in the 2008-2009 school year.
- Almost 500 children witnessed domestic violence between 2007-2009.
- Teenage pregnancy rates remain high in Westerly.
- 606 "indicated cases" of child abuse and neglect were reported in Washington County between 2007-2009.
- Support services, such as counseling and parenting classes, do not reach all the most vulnerable families.
Click the link below to view/download the complete 2010 report in Acrobat PDF format:
CATCH Initiatives
With the help of local pediatricians, the Coalition has carried out two CATCH (Community Access to Child Health) Planning Initiatives, funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics, to address pressing child health issues in Washington County.
Our 2008 CATCH Planning Initiative focused on uncovering the root causes of delayed prenatal care, teen pregnancy, and food insecurity in Westerly, RI (one of the 9 towns comprising Washington County). Three common community assessment strategies were utilized to help uncover these root causes. In an effort to help identify potential action steps, we also undertook a study of effective programs used elsewhere in the nation. For summaries of these activities, click below:
Key Informant Interviews
Parent Survey
Focus Groups
'Models That Work' Study
For a copy of our final report, click below:
Westerly Children At Risk Report 3-25-10
Our 2003 CATCH Planning Initiative was designed to document children's mental health needs in Washington County. For a summary of activities/findings and results of the Children's Mental Health Summit we organized, click below:
CATCH Final Report
Summit Results
Since little reliable data was available documenting children's mental health needs in Washington County, four strategies were implemented to generate information about local issues and needs. Click the links below for the summaries of findings from each of these strategies:
Key Informant Interviews
Parent Survey
Focus Groups
System Assessment Interviews