1996

• CCFH was launched as a collaborative endeavor of three universities: Duke University, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina Central University.

1998

• CCFH merged with Child and Parent Support Services, Inc. (CAPSS), a United Way-funded agency whose programs focus on preventing child abuse by educating parents about child development and behavior management techniques.

2003

• The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) designated CCFH as a Community Treatment and Services Center. As a community practice site within the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, CCFH provides cutting-edge mental health treatment services and conducts training throughout North Carolina and the Southern United States in innovative treatment strategies like Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Our involvement with the NCTSN bridges the gap between research on empirically proven interventions for child trauma and community-based practice.

2006

• Through its first decade of service, CCFH provided care for more than 25,000 children and their families. The children range from birth to 18 years in age. Most of our clients live at or below the poverty line and are underinsured or uninsured. Demographically, the children served reflect our community: 48% African American, 37% Caucasian, 10% Latino, 3% Native American, and 2% other.
• CCFH received funding to develop training materials to improve the quality of care across North Carolina for the more than 8,000 children who are admitted with a parent to a domestic violence shelter. Our faculty provides training and consultation to help identify traumatic stress among these children and develop strategies to increase their safety and well-being.

2007

• On June 17, our Child Advocacy Center (CAC) became the first nationally accredited one in the Triangle region. This CAC provides Durham children and families with a coordinated community response to allegations of child sexual abuse and physical maltreatment. The CAC members include the Durham Police Department, Durham County Sheriff’s Office, Durham County Department of Social Services, Durham District Attorney’s Office, the 14th Judicial District Guardian Ad Litem Program, Durham County Health Department, and the Center for Child and Family Health.
• On June 30, CCFH was awarded more than $145,000 from Governor Easley’s Crime Commission. CCFH is a second-time grantee, using the grant to continue funding the North Carolina Child Response Initiative. This collaborative program between the Center’s mental health faculty and the Durham Police Department educates families about the effects of childhood exposure to violence or trauma and provides coordinated police and mental health responses to children affected by violence and crime.
• CCFH extended its work to include development of best practices for assessing and treating vulnerable children across the globe, including methods of community-based care for children affected by HIV/AIDS and other forms of trauma in less wealthy nations located in Asia and Africa.