Prevent Child Abuse Riverside County (PCARC) had its start in 1983 as a grassroots organization consisting of concerned members of the community and representatives of public and private agencies who came together around a common purpose of preventing child abuse. Since that time, PCARC has evolved into its current structure as a private, non-profit 501 (c) (3), incorporated in the State of California, and serving as the lead child abuse prevention council for Riverside County.
History
Currently, PCARC consists of a parent organization providing oversight to seven regional collaborative councils operating throughout the County. This represents an evolution over the last twenty years as in 1987; Riverside County had three independently operating regional child abuse prevention councils with no countywide entity binding them together. These councils were located in Riverside, Banning and the Coachella Valley. In 1995, a fourth council was added representing the Murrieta-Temecula region.
The four child abuse councils met monthly in the geographical areas which they covered. These meetings provided a vehicle for community collaboration, needs assessment, planning, and the implementation and delivery of relevant social services. This collaborative was known as the Children’s Network, but lacked formal organization, enabling legislation or by-laws.
In 2000, a decision was made to incorporate the four regional councils into one county-wide non-profit child abuse prevention council with four regional chapters. The State Office of Child Abuse Prevention (OCAP) conducted a strategic planning session and assisted the regional councils in reviewing the sections of the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) relevant to the establishment of a County Board of Supervisors-designated child abuse prevention council. The three main requirements were:
| a. | Designation by the County Board of Supervisors (WIC 18966 and 18977), |
| b. | Incorporation as a 501 (c) WIC (18983), and, |
| c. | Collection of data and publication of an annual report describing the use of the Children’s Trust Fund monies (WIC 18970). |
In August 2001, the four regional councils agreed to comply with the W & I Codes and came together as an incorporated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The first Executive Director was hired in April 2002 and the new Board of Directors for PCARC met for the first time in January 2003. In 2003, Corona-Norco U.N.I.T.Y. (United Neighbors Involving Today’s Youth) Council in Corona became the fifth regional collaborative and Perris Valley joined as the sixth collaborative in 2004. The newest council, Blythe, joined the regional collaboratives in 2009.