Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) was founded by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker John Paul Chief...
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Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) was founded by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker John Paul Chief Lily, AKA Chef. Chief also works as a registered Play
Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) was founded by a Licensed
Clinical Social Worker John Paul Chief Lily, AKA Chef. Chief also
works as a registered Play Therapist/Supervisor and part time
faculty member at Brigham Young University. Although Chief felt the
system provided a lot of much needed help for children, he felt
that there were critical gaps in those services. Chief, having had
good experiences with bikers in his childhood, was moved to rally
bikers in his neighborhood to protect and encourage a child who had
been abused and refused to leave his home. A group of bikers
supported the child, gave him rides on their motorcycles and made
the child feel protected. Not long after this, the child was seen
on a regular basis playing out side, and riding his bike; being a
kid again. This success inspired a movement. BACA chapters are now
all over the U.S. and several other countries around the world.
http://www.bacausa.com/Internet/FAQs.php INTRODUCTION:
Slide 3
I met with the bikers at Barnes and Noble because the were
going to be there for a book signing for A Silence of Mockingbirds:
The Memoir of a Murder. This story is about a 3 year old girl who
was murdered by her mother and subsequently changed the child
protection efforts in Oregon state with Karlys Law. The bikers
passionately participated in the authors presentation. From left to
right: Two Guns, Torch, Bum and Gearhead THE INTERVIEW:
Slide 4
All four bikers participated in the interview. Torch is the
head of the Columbia Basin chapter and the point of contact. Bum
and Torch are responsible for bringing in a BACA chapter to the
Tri-Cities. Two Guns is the Vice President. Gearhead is the
Treasurer. All four of them are willing to stand in the way of harm
to a child. Although BACA does not condone violence, all four are
willing if absolutely necessary, to stand in the way of immediate
harm to a child, even if it means injury or imprisonment. BACA
members are all volunteer employees. The group reports that they
are usually working on something for the group everyday working on
fundraising activities, keeping the organization running and
protecting children. Members must pass a background check and be
approved by council members. Torch related that he can usually tell
when someones heart is not in the right place, and he has no
problem getting rid of them. BACA members do not use their real
names and do not share where they work or live.
Slide 5
The types of services BACA offers are: o Advocacy for court. o
Visits with children who have been abused to help put them at ease
to talk about what happened to them. o Help paying for therapies
children might need that their insurance doesnt pay for. o
Therapies, such as going to Chucky Cheese, to the park, or another
activity a child might enjoy that might help facilitate the healing
process. o [ BACA members never work alone with children, there is
always another an extra set of eyes to ensure children are not in a
vulnerable position] SERVICES:
Slide 6
BACA has four intervention levels. Level 1 is the initial visit
to find out if the child is interested in their support. If so they
present the child with their own vest and give the child a road
name. The road name also serves as a privacy measure for the child.
[The childs caregiver must agree to involve BACA] Level 2 may
involve such things as escorting a child to school who is being
bullied. If a perpetrator is harassing the family, BACA may hang
out at the families home to make a visual presence. If a child is
afraid to sleep BACA may park in front of the house at night so the
child feels safe. Level 3 If a threat continues to escalate BACA
will bring an RV to the house and stay until the child feels safe.
Level 4 BACA will go to the neighborhood of the perpetrator and
distribute BACA information and let the neighborhood know there is
a child abuser among them. INTERVENTIONS:
Slide 7
The bikers all agreed that what they like least about their job
is that they are needed at all and that so many children live in
fear. The thing they like most about their work is watching the
progress children make after three or four of their visits. When
they first show up often times children are very fearful of people
and even hiding, then after a few visits kids are starting to act
like kids again. The one thing the group would change about their
work, besides the need for their services, would be the
effectiveness of Washington state laws in preventing child abuse.
They would also like to see more community involvement.
PERSPECTIVES:
Slide 8
The members of BACA that I spoke with felt like some of he
causes of abuse and neglect might be: The build up of stress. The
straw broke the camels back phenomenon. Generational abuse.
Financial stress. Drugs. Societys unwillingness to get involved.
Lack of work ethic (the lack of incentive to do good work). General
moral decline. WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF CHILD ABUSE?
Slide 9
Some elements the BACA members thought contributed to essential
elements of intervention were: Truthful communication. An example
of this they gave were guardians fighting against each other and
losing sight of the main goal of the childs wellbeing. Unity. Every
understands that they are there for the child, not forming
alliances. Creating an environment where children feel safe to
voice their thoughts, feelings and experiences. ELEMENTS OF
INTERVENTION:
Slide 10
Elements essential for the prevention of child abuse BACA
members felt were: Support people should keep showing up. Not
giving up on the child or the situation; remain present.
Community/parent education and awareness of abuse and prevention
efforts. People should stop concerning themselves with the
repercussion of reporting abuse. Listen to children; what they say
is important. More Good Samaritan laws. ELEMENTS OF
PREVENTION:
Slide 11
Trust your instincts. Children dont fabricate complex lies.
Believe it until proven otherwise. Consider the background of the
person doing the investigation. How might their experiences
influence their perspective. Have a plan for interviewing children.
Structure the questions and interview in a way that is kid friendly
and allows them to be comfortable to communicate. Be more
personable; dont come off as distant and uncaring. ADVICE FOR UP
AND COMING SOCIAL WORKERS:
Slide 12
Columbia Basin Contact Information: Columbia Basin Chapter P.O
Box 4776 West Richland WA 99353 HELPLINE Number 509-780-6221
PresidentPresident Torch Vice PresidentVice President 2Guns Sgt at
ArmsSgt at Arms open SecretarySecretary Wildfire TreasurerTreasurer
Gearhead
http://washington.bacaworld.org/chapter/columbia-basin-chapter/