ABSTRACT
In Tacoma, Washington, a public agency, a private agency, and individuals from the community are combining their efforts to end the sexual abuse of children and to rebuild relationships within the abusive family. Current efforts had their origins in the work of Peter Coleman, MSW, who is on the staff of the Child Protective Services Unit of the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services. A few years ago, Coleman began a counseling program for incestuous families, coordinating his work with the work of the police, the district attorney, and the courts. As his caseload grew and as the need for additional services became apparent, Coleman and a group of citizens began to lay the foundation for an organization called “Families Reunited.” Today, workers in the Child Protective Services Unit investigate charges of sexual abuse of children, interview families, and then make referrals to Families Reunited, the major provider of treatment to incestuous families in the Tacoma area.
