The Alabama Department of Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention, The Children’s Trust Fund, is proud to release the approved grant awards for the 2022-2023 program year. We appreciate all of the grant applications and look forward to working with the following community-based prevention programs.

Click here to view the grant awards for the 2022-2023 program year!

The Children’s Trust Fund sponsored an Opioid Prevention Summit on July 7 at the Ross Bridge Conference Center in Birmingham. Funding for the summit was provided to CTF through Attorney General Steve Marshall as part of the state’s opioid settlement with national manufacturers. Further funding from the settlement is enabling CTF to create a massive public awareness campaign managed by grantee Fowler Davis 4 Change to fight against the negative effects of opioid abuse in Alabama, especially in teens and younger children.

New York Times bestselling author Nic Sheff gave the keynote address at the summit. Sheff’s life story of his hard-fought victory against a painful opioid addiction was not only featured in his memoir Tweak but also in the movie Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell. Sheff shared much of his painful but inspiring life story with the many attendees during his speech and engaged further with them in a candid question and answer session.

Jeff Davis, the co-founder of Fowler Davis 4 Change, also spoke at the summit to detail the background of the opioid epidemic in Alabama and his plans to fight back through the public awareness campaign, which will include television, radio, and social media spots, along with digital billboards and other outreach elements. The campaign will commence in 2023 once all the implementation phases have been fully planned.

Nationally acclaimed child psychiatrist Dr. Stephen Taylor rounded out the summit by speaking of his experience treating younger patients with opioid addiction issues. Taylor focused on the latest trends in clinical practice, including an emphasis on treating mental health issues in combination with many addiction issues.

Spring was a busy time for CTF as we celebrated Child Abuse Prevention Month in April and marked the 50th Anniversary of Prevent Child Abuse America. Please check out the highlights in our Spring Newsletter here.

Governor Kay Ivey proclaimed April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Alabama during a signing ceremony in the Old House Chamber of the Alabama State Capitol on April 4. The Governor’s proclamation was part of the national Child Abuse Prevention Month campaign to raise awareness and support for evidence-driven child abuse prevention programs and policies. Throughout the month, all of the Children’s Trust Fund’s many partners and grantees are holding child abuse prevention events to support the campaign for Child Abuse Prevention Month. Read the Governor’s full proclamation here. Several Children’s Trust Fund board members and staff participated in the ceremony above. Pictured from  left to right: CTF board member Paul Butler, CTF board member Beverly Johnson, CTF board member Judy Miller, CTF board member Senator Dan Roberts, CTF Assistant Director Tracy Plummer, CTF board member Gilbert Darrington, CTF Director Sallye Longshore, CTF staff members Brian Miller and Dawn Miller.