Joyce Thomas, Washington Expert on Child Abuse and Victimization Honored by Black Administrators in Child Welfare.

WASHINGTON -- Joyce Thomas, RN, MPH, president and CEO and co-founder of Washington, D.C.-based Center for Child Protection and Family Support was honored this week, along with other black administrators of child welfare programs around the country that are making a difference in the lives of children who are victims of child abuse, maltreatment, neglect or gang violence. The distinction was given to her during the 2006 Black Administrators in Child Welfare Annual Conference at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va.

"With Joyce at the helm, the Center for Child Protection and Family Support is innovating programs that support children by looking at the family as a whole to eliminate the conditions that lead to abuse or neglect," explained Sondra Jackson, president of the BACW in speaking about the honor.

Thomas co-founded the Center for Child Protection and Family Support in 1987. Today the organization serves close to 300 families in Washington. D.C. through community-based, school-based, and technical assistance programs that focus on prevention and intervention assistance directly to the community as well as to other agencies and organizations.

Thomas has been the invited by several Presidents of the United States, Attorney Generals, and Surgeon Generals to provide critical input for policy formulation on a variety of topics related to domestic violence and child maltreatment. She has authored numerous professional articles, testified before Congress, and lectured before many groups around the world. She has served on the faculty of Trinity College in Washington, D.C., and continues to lecture at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, John Hopkins University, Howard University School of Social Work, Spelman College and numerous other institutions of higher learning.

Established in 1971 and incorporated in New York in 1975, the Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW) is a nationwide, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of African American children and their families who are gravely overrepresented in the nation's child welfare system. Further information about the organization is available at http://www.blackadministrators.org.

The Center for Child Protection and Family Support is a nationally recognized leader in innovative family and children's service programming which focuses on child maltreatment prevention and intervention, substance abuse prevention, delinquency prevention, and services and programs designed to strengthen families. The Center offers programs and services directly to children and families, and also provides professional training on various child welfare issues. All Center programs and services incorporate culture and diversity and most are provided at no cost. Further information is available at www.stopchildabusenow.org.