Healing Abused Children

Helping Cheyenne River Indian Reservation children ages, 10-18, who have been abused and/or neglected is at the core of CRIO’s Child Services Center.

The center’s highly qualified team strives to help primarily Native American youth heal physically, emotionally and mentally. Youth in our program learn to develop balanced, healthy lives through strategically developed activities.

Children in need create a strong foundation for the future thanks to CRIO services like:

• group foster care
• assessment services
• crisis stabilization
• respite care
• counseling
• independent living skills
• therapeutic and educational groups
• group and community activities

Program Activities

Social Skills
Group outings to movies, sobriety dances and the skateboard park provide the children an opportunity to enjoy fun events within the community while continually benefitting from the structure of our foster care program.

Children in our program also enjoy regular basketball games and craft projects.

Life Skills
For many people, tasks like sorting laundry or preparing a meal are habitual routines. At CRIO’s Child Services Center, our youth must be taught all of these necessary life skills. In addition, our team teaches the children in our care basic tasks like shopping for groceries and managing a bank account.

Citizenship
Regular opportunities for community service not only teach good citizenship, but also help integrate the youth into public projects. Students plant flowers, pick up trash, deliver goodies to local nursing homes and participate in other community activities.

Spirituality
At CRIO, spirituality is encouraged, but no particular religion is endorsed. Children in our care may attend any of our local churches, participate in traditional Native American activities like sundances and sweats or partake in group sessions at our center.

Core Program Pieces

“Normal” adolescents face typical trials like self-esteem issues.

But, the children served by CRIO also struggle with confusion, abandonment issues, abuse, neglect, socio-economic factors and more.

This is why our program has four primary components.

1. Dedicated Staff
   CRIO staff is the key to reassuring children in our care that they are safe and loved. Our Child Services team members become part of the children’s stable family structure. Team members attend our children’s sporting events and other activities, even outside of traditional “work” time. When needed, our dedicated team members also fill the roles traditionally held by parents. At CRIO, our counselor-to-child ratio exceeds licensing requirements.

2. Family Involvement
   Re-uniting healed families is our main goal. A key piece in achieving this is holding regular family visits and frequent family counseling sessions.

3. Community
   Several agencies in Eagle Butte support and are integral parts of the work at our Child Services Center. Four Bands Healing Center provides intervention programs, drug/alcohol assessment and services, and a fitness center.

   The Eagle Center offers alternative learning lessons in a variety of classes, including life skills like parenting. Younger adolescents can find safety and fun at The Main.

   Medical facilities include a hospital, a clinic and the Three Rivers Mental Health Center.

4. Education
   Children placed in our Child Services Center attend the only dual public/BIA school in the nation. The Cheyenne-Eagle Butte school system helps promote a sense of normalcy most children do not experience.

5. The Facility
   Our Child Services program operates in a 13,000-square-foot building designed specifically for the caring of children. Our program is licensed by the South Dakota Department of Social Services to serve 16 adolescents. Team members also staff the program 24 hours a day, seven days a week.