Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
Encyclopedia
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a non-governmental charitable organization with offices in Boston
and throughout Massachusetts
which seeks to strengthen families and prevent child abuse through essential child welfare and mental health treatment and effective public advocacy.
, originally a founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA), and then of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (the first such organisation in the world) was also active in the MSPCC's founding.
Bergh got involved in child welfare when he was approached by a Methodist missionary named Etta Angell Wheeler who was seeking help rescuing a child, Mary Ellen Wilson, from an extremely abusive home. After Mary Ellen's story was heard, other complaints came in to Bergh. In response, he and Elbridge Thomas Gerry
formed the New York Society in 1874; the Massachusetts society was formed shortly after.
Its programs include adoption
, day care and afterschool
, evaluation services, mental health treatment, and prevention services.
It monitors public policy issues at the state legislative and executive levels, and promotes the needs of children and adolescents in the areas of child abuse, foster care, poverty and welfare, and mental, physical and dental health, as well as the needs of teens who have "aged out" of foster care.
United Way of Pioneer Valley funds the following MSPCC programs:
GoodStart Parenting Program and Sexual Behavior Prevention & Treatment Program.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and throughout Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
which seeks to strengthen families and prevent child abuse through essential child welfare and mental health treatment and effective public advocacy.
History
MSPCC was incorporated in 1878. Henry BerghHenry Bergh
Henry Bergh founded the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in April, 1866, three days after the first effective legislation against animal cruelty in the United States was passed into law by the New York State Legislature...
, originally a founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty towards animals...
(ASPCA), and then of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (the first such organisation in the world) was also active in the MSPCC's founding.
Bergh got involved in child welfare when he was approached by a Methodist missionary named Etta Angell Wheeler who was seeking help rescuing a child, Mary Ellen Wilson, from an extremely abusive home. After Mary Ellen's story was heard, other complaints came in to Bergh. In response, he and Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry
Elbridge Thomas Gerry was an American reformer.-Biography:In 1860 he was admitted to the New York State Bar Association. He became an adviser to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals...
formed the New York Society in 1874; the Massachusetts society was formed shortly after.
Today
Marylou Sudders, MSW, ACSW is MSPCC's president and CEO.Its programs include adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, day care and afterschool
Afterschool
Afterschool is a 2008 drama film filmed, written, and directed by Antonio Campos. It premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in the program Un Certain Regard...
, evaluation services, mental health treatment, and prevention services.
It monitors public policy issues at the state legislative and executive levels, and promotes the needs of children and adolescents in the areas of child abuse, foster care, poverty and welfare, and mental, physical and dental health, as well as the needs of teens who have "aged out" of foster care.
United Way of Pioneer Valley funds the following MSPCC programs:
GoodStart Parenting Program and Sexual Behavior Prevention & Treatment Program.