The Exchange Club of Vicksburg Child Abuse Prevention Center has had to limit programs and staff because of a lack of funds this year, said Shaheena Haque, director. The lack of funds is a direct result of not receiving referrals from the local Department of Human Services, she said, but the volunteer group has been unable to learn why.

Virginia Houston, DHS family and children services supervisor in Warren County, declined comment and referred calls to the state office.

From that level, Deputy DHS Director Rickey Berry responded with a statement, saying that the state department is &#8220evaluating all service providers and a number of changes have taken place.” He declined to comment on the CAP Center specifically.

That’s the frustrating part, said Don Brown, a member of the CAP board. &#8220(We’ve tried) to get an understanding of why we were not selected after so many years,” he said. &#8220The bottom line is we were not looked at favorably and received no referrals from our local DHS.”

Haque and Brown said Rickie Felder, director of the Division of Family and Children’s Services of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, told them in an April meeting that the state agency decided not to provide the center what it calls its state basic grant, which the center had been receiving for 10 years. It would provide $50,000 to fund programs. CAP has also received a family support service grant worth $180,000 for six years.

&#8220In 2005, I tried to meet with our local DHS once a month to let (Houston) know what services we’re providing and to see if I could have permission to talk to the social workers,” Haque said. &#8220When I said we were not receiving referrals, she said she would talk to her social workers.”

Brown, also the Warren County director at Warren-Yazoo Mental Health, said the board and Haque have been trying to develop a relationship with DHS over the years.

The people who are referred to DHS – some of them could benefit from CAP Center services,” he said. &#8220We’re disappointed. This is detrimental.”

An unidentified agency in Tallahatchie County was awarded the grant to provide services in Warren County, but Haque said she has seen no such presence here.

Haque, who has been with the center for nine years, has had to let go of five out of 11 staff members and discontinue services to Claiborne County. The center can no longer provide parent education, teen pregnancy awareness, parent support groups, life skills training, parent aide, family preservation, supervised visitation and mentoring. To provide such services, the center must depend on DHS.

&#8220To see a child lead a happy life, we need to work together,” Haque said. &#8220If we can’t work together, it’s going to hurt the kids and the families.”

In the past year, Haque said the local DHS reported 416 cases of child abuse. Of those, about 80 were substantiated, or verified. Haque said the CAP Center would like to take on the remaining cases.

&#8220Whatever is left, if the reports were made with good intentions, let us have that case,” she said.

The CAP Center’s role, once a DHS referral is received, is to go into the homes of potential child abuse victims twice a week and to provide a narrative each month to DHS. The CAP Center staff works with the family as a mentor.

&#8220We do everything we possibly can – without enabling them. We try to help the parent out and improve the quality of family life,” she said.

The Child Abuse Prevention Center is a United Way Agency that has been in Warren County since 1985. It is the only agency in Warren County that deals with the prevention and public awareness of child abuse. The center was the first in the state to receive National Council accreditation and one of four agencies recognized by the University of Nebraska-Omaha for its parent aid research, Haque said.

&#8220It’s not that we are not doing,” she said. &#8220We are still providing services. I would appreciate knowing why we’re not getting the referrals. Our aim is to help these families and we’re not reaching our goal. It’s not just money – we need help.”

Haque said the center will reapply for the two grants next year and hope for the best.