Aim:
The Teddy Bear Clinic for Abused Children ‘s (TTBC) mission is to minimize harm and prevent secondary victimization to children and their families when entering the child protection system by providing expertise, information, education and support in order to make their journey to healing a meaningful one.
Create awareness and accessibility for those needing of our services.
Over 36 years, TBF has grown into a unique and fully –fledged holistic service for abused children which includes:
- forensic medical examinations;
- forensic assessments;
- counselling;
- psychological testing;
- SPARC (Support Programme for Abuse Reactive Children)–a diversion programme for youth sexual offenders
- SAFE (Safe and Friendly Environment) for Schools Programme. Rapid response programme at schools
- GBV Gender Based Violence. Violence against girls and women introduced in 2020 in response to COVID 19 challenges. With the lockdown women and children were locked in, locked from the outside world for fear of reprisal from law enforcement and hence were trapped and immobilized.
- ECD We train ECD practitioners empowering and equipping them to identify, manage and refer signs and symptoms of child abuse.
- SeVISSA ( Sexual Violence Initiative Programme). This school outreach programme focuses on the development of prosocial skills for children enabling them to distinguish between risky and protective behaviours and giving them sufficient information to make informed choices.
- Outreach: Providing food in response to the hierarchy of needs. Children cannot be therapized (self-actualization) when they are suffering with hunger pangs. We continue to provide food to many families in need.
- Training of medical students (GEMP/Graduate Entry Medical Programme), Family Medicine students and Community Paediatric students from the University of the Witwatersrand, supervision of post-graduate students, training provided to forensic nurses and doctors from the Department of Health as part of their sexual assault training at the Hillbrow Medico-legal clinic.
- All information and data is based on empirical evidence.
- We have grown and have been instrumental in reaching over 40 000 children per annum.
- Post evaluations have shown that our programmes have been quite successful by the testimonies given by parents and children. Ongoing research is conducted at the TBF. An Annual Research Day is held where information is shared and disseminated widely to all stakeholders and service providers
- A comparative analysis of the past years has reflected an increase in conviction rates in sexual offence cases that involved the children that went through our interventions.
- The success of these interventions all displays itself in the number of children that have come back as mentors once they have received all the support that they needed, to aid others in their journey of healing.
- TTBC adopts an open door policy. Although we encourage and enable children to become independent and self-sustainable, we still offer support where and when it may be needed. A “no turn away policy” is practiced
- All services are at no cost to those who need it and is unreservedly available to everyone.
