Family and Safety

Tween girls face shocking rate of cyberbullying

Has your child received an expensive gift in the mail, like a webcam, a cell phone with a camera in it, or a trip? These gifts and devices are often for the purpose of encouraging teens to take, produce, and transmit sexually explicit images of themselves. Cyberbullying, especially via mobile phones is a growing and … Read moreTween girls face shocking rate of cyberbullying

Worried about your child being bullied?

Bullying has had several negative effects on our youth today. It has been linked to several psychological disorders such as depression, suicidal thoughts, and has been the cause of several violent actions in our schools. Rates of bullying have decreased since 1998, but rates of physical fighting have remained the same since 2006. Victims of … Read moreWorried about your child being bullied?

Finding help if you're a domestic violence victim in NY

For many victims of domestic violence, the daily pain and harassment becomes a shameful secret; making it hard to speak up about it.  Trapped in a vicious cycle of physical and/or verbal abuse, it is unfortunate that many of these victims of domestic violence are never able to escape and instead lose their lives at … Read moreFinding help if you're a domestic violence victim in NY

Bullying by any other name would be as hurtful: Stop Cyberbullying

Every adult around the world probably has some sort of bullying story to tell. Some may even say this is a right of passage, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Why would we allow our children and others children to be subjected to an unnecessary form of sophomoric tyranny?! The New York anti-bullying law … Read moreBullying by any other name would be as hurtful: Stop Cyberbullying

Learn about Access to Justice (A2J) Programs

Normally, if you can’t afford an attorney for a civil court case, you can get an attorney at your local legal aid office. In the past few years, more people have become financially eligible for legal aid, but legal aid offices nationally have shrunk due to lack of funding. This is where A2J programs come … Read moreLearn about Access to Justice (A2J) Programs

10 Online Safety Tips

The average American spends 23 hours online.  This is ten times more than what the average American spends exercising or participating in sports or fitness activities! Much of this time online is spent sharing pictures or other information or news about our lives, looking at pictures, visiting websites, and just generally surfing the web. Cyber … Read more10 Online Safety Tips

Governor Cuomo cracks down on domestic violence

Governor Cuomo signed multiple bills into law Wednesday July 23rd, each of which intended to combat domestic violence. These new bills will improve New York’s laws relating to stalking and aggravated harassment. They will strengthen existing laws and add completely new measures to protect New Yorkers from GPS related stalking, aggravated harassment, and public lewdness/indecent … Read moreGovernor Cuomo cracks down on domestic violence

New service provides domestic violence info via text

LawHelpNY, the free, statewide resource for people facing civil legal issues, launched a new text messaging campaign, aimed at informing immigrant victims of domestic violence about their rights to shelter, healthcare and free legal services. This new SMS campaign, through the use of text messages provided in English and Spanish, will guide immigrant victims of … Read moreNew service provides domestic violence info via text

KinGAP Program Assists Grandparents and Other Relatives Caring for Children

Are you a grandparent or other relative caring for a child?  If so, New York Office of Children and Family Services currently runs the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGap).  This program helps a foster child have permanent placement with a relative who had been the child’s foster parent for at least six months.   The program … Read moreKinGAP Program Assists Grandparents and Other Relatives Caring for Children