Residential Treatment Center for Victims of Abuse to Open

Childhelp USA on Wednesday will formally open a residential treatment center in Westminster for victims of child abuse, its second in the state.

The national, nonprofit organization will operate a four-bedroom home that will accommodate six children between the ages of 2 and 7. The group has operated a village providing treatment for 76 abused children between 2 and 12 in Beaumont since 1978.

The Westminster group home, supported by private donations, is the first of three Childhelp plans to open in Orange County this year to meet the needs of abused children in the area, said national board member Connie Olsen of Fountain Valley.

Orange County now has limited alternatives for placing child abuse victims, said Bob Griffith, chief deputy director of Orange County Social Services Agency. Orangewood, the county-run shelter which can accommodate 167 children, is intended for emergency, short-term treatment. Fourteen group homes, such as the one being opened by Childhelp, are available with a total of 350 beds. Another alternative is foster parent care.

“The group homes allow more intensive counseling and treatment than the other alternatives,” Griffith said.

The Childhelp home will provide intensive psychological treatment. Follow-up therapy will be provided in a Childhelp Aftercare Program to be established later this year. Psychologists, social workers, teachers, nurses and child care workers will participate in the program, Olsen said.

For information on the home, call (714) 962-4806.