OUR STORY
The St. Louis Area Council n Child Abuse and Neglect (CoCAN) was established as a collaborative council in 1975 to meet the need for professional networking, education, and advocacy on behalf of children in St. Louis regarding child abuse and neglect. The founding members were: Bill Siedhoff of St. Louis City Division of Family Services, Virginia Allen of St. Louis County Division of Family Services, Wilbur Long of St. Louis City Juvenile Court, and Ken Hensiek of St. Louis County Juvenile Court. Washington University Child Guidance Clinic, St. Louis County Child Mental Health, Cardinal Glennon, and St. Louis Children’s Hospital were also involved in CoCAN’s development. The first Co-Chairs were Virginia Allen and Armand Brodeur, M.D.
CoCAN was affiliated with the Mental Health Association from 1975 to 1986. In 1986, CoCAN entered into a collaborative agreement with the St. Louis Child Abuse Network, which later changed its name to Family Support Network. CoCAN’s partnership with the Family Support Network continues to this day through provision of a permanent mailing address and phone number for CoCAN.
In order to better achieve its mission, CoCAN has established several collaborative relationships throughout the St. Louis community. St. Vincent Home for Children provides the venue for CoCAN’s training workshops and a secure storage space at no cost. The Family Resource Center provides secretarial services at an hourly rate, and the Kathy J. Weinman Children’s Advocacy Center provides Board meeting space.
In 2007, the CoCAN Board embarked on an effort to revitalize the organization. Key measures included a strategic planning process, the revision of critical documents, and the development of several marketing tools. As part of CoCAN’s marketing efforts, youth served by our member organizations were invited to submit entries for CoCAN’s “New Logo Contest”. Brijhette F. of Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis won the contest with her imaginative offering of a childhood favorite: the crayon.
Lastly, the By-Laws and Standard Operating Procedures were updated and a new CoCAN website was created to share community resources, improve communication, and enhance the overall effectiveness of all our member organizations’ efforts.
