From the moment they are born, children need their parents.  Children are dependant on adults for their basic physical needs such as food and shelter, and for their basic emotional needs such as feelings of security and love.  Until about 10 years ago, a child who was neglected or abused was most often removed from the home.  This paradigm shifted when the Parent-Child Center was established in Sderot.  The Parent-Child Center is a unique framework for family therapy, established by the Ministries of Labor and Social Services, with the Ashalim Organization.

Sderot’s Parent-Child Center provides services to families at risk with referrals from the Department of Social Services. Both parents and children participate in programs designed to strengthen families.  Maximum treatment period is 18 months and can include personal, family and/or group sessions.

35 families (some single-parent), with children between the ages of 5 and 12, are currently receiving treatment at the Center.   The Center creates an enabling atmosphere for parents, encouraging them to discover their potential as a family.  During sessions, parents gain awareness and skills that benefit them and their children. 

Families receiving treatment often view the Center, which has a welcoming and supportive atmosphere, as an extension of their home.  They gradually become partners in the programs they participate in; when their family’s treatment is concluded, some of the parents become Center volunteers. 

The Center offers several support groups:  women, zoo-therapy and music-therapy for children, and a men’s group that also actively volunteers in the community.  Another important responsibility taken by the staff is identifying children at risk in Sderot, an undertaking that they perform with professionals in school programs. 

The Parent-Child Center accepts interns who are studying to be social workers or family therapists.

Sderot’s ongoing security crisis has had a strong influence on the families receiving treatment at the Center; even in periods of relative calm, parents and children suffer from high levels of anxiety and feelings of distress.  To help these families, the Center has added several support groups for women and families, focusing on releasing tension and acquiring healthy coping skills.

Gvanim thanks its program partners:  The Municipality of Sderot, Dept. of Social Services; JOINT (JDC-Israel); Ashalim; the Jewish Agency