Children's center celebrating a year of success

Tonight there will be a party at the Law School to celebrate the first year of work on Penn's interdisciplinary Center for Children's Policy Practice and Research. The center -- a collaborative effort of the Law School, the School of Medicine and the School of Social Work -- researches child welfare and develops policies to protect children's rights. The CCPPR, currently located at 42nd and Pine streets, has been functioning for the past year. "I think we've made tremendous progress over the last year," said Alyssa Cowan, the CCPPR coordinator. "We've really gotten our name out there -- not only within the city of Philadelphia, but to key players on both a national and international level." The co-directors of the center are Annie Steinberg, a Psychiatry professor at Philadelphia Child Guidance Center, Richard Gelles and Carol Wilson Spigner of the School of Social Work and Law School Professor Barbara Bennett Woodhouse. On a direct level, the center offers child and family evaluations and makes recommendations to family courts in child abuse and neglect cases. The CCPPR also presents briefs to the Supreme Court in cases affecting the welfare of children. Finally, the center consults on a national level with organizations such as The Department of Children, Youth and Families in Florida, regarding policy decisions and evaluations. Cowan explained that the next step for the CCPPR will be to collaborate further with these key players to accomplish their goals. Today's ceremony acknowledges the work of the center and thanks the various supporters. New advisory board members will also be appointed, according to Steinberg. She added that the reception "really represents the crystallization of everything we have hoped for in developing the center." According to Cowan, more than 100 guests, primarily Philadelphia professionals who work with children and child welfare, are expected to attend the reception. Representatives from all of Penn's schools will also be in attendance. The reception, which is open to the entire Penn community, will be held at the Law School at 3400 Chestnut Street from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.