Palm Beach County – ChildNet, the community-based care (CBC) lead agency in Broward and Palm Beach counties, has been selected to receive a generous grant from the Salah Foundation to support its SafePlace Emergency Respite Program.
With the support of the community, ChildNet will open SafePlace in Palm Beach County in early 2014, providing a safe place for children upon removal from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. The Salah Foundation will fund the emergency respite program at the center, giving children an opportunity to rest, eat and play in a child-friendly, nurturing environment while an appropriate placement is identified.
“Through no fault of their own, children find themselves involved in the child welfare system,” said Emilio Benitez, president and CEO of ChildNet. “Having the SafePlace Emergency Respite Program makes a real difference in our ability to care for our communities most vulnerable children during a difficult time in their young lives. Thanks to the support from the Salah Foundation, children removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment will get the nurturing care they so need and deserve.”
The Salah Foundation, which is a private foundation that supports non-profit organizations that strengthen families and communities and advances individuals to become productive and responsible citizens, runs a targeted grant process for organizations like ChildNet. The foundation holds a special interest in education, medical research, community development and self-sufficiency programs aimed at the economically disadvantaged, the young, the elderly and the disabled.
“The Salah Foundation’s investment in the Emergency Respite Program at SafePlace is one of the Foundation’s most significant investments in Palm Beach County, because it will provide children recently removed from their homes with a safe and loving environment,” said George J. Taylor, Esq., Salah Foundation Board Member. “Hopefully SafePlace will become a best practice model for every county in America.”
As the single private non-profit entity responsible for administration of the local child welfare system, ChildNet brings years of dedication to protecting abused, abandoned and neglected children in the communities it serves.
For more information about ChildNet in Palm Beach County, please call 561-352-2500. Visit www.ChildNet.us and www.facebook.com/ChildNet.