Our Mission

The Council on Child Abuse (COCA) provides educational and public awareness programs to prevent and stop child abuse and bullying where children live, learn and play.

Our History

Since the beginning, COCA has been committed to and focused on the prevention of child abuse.

The agency was established in 1978 by Co-Founders Norma Stivers and Kevin Lab as Parents Anonymous of Southwestern Ohio, Inc. Its primary purpose was to provide support programs for abusive, potentially abusive, or stressed parents, with an emphasis on preventing abuse before it occurs based on the National Parents Anonymous (PA) self-help model.

During the early years, the agency focused its efforts on providing PA support groups for parents and a 24-hour Parent Hotline. Over time, programs were added to better address the emerging needs of the community. To more accurately reflect the growth and scope of services provided, the agency changed its name from Parents Anonymous to the Council on Child Abuse (COCA) in 1992.

Focusing its efforts on strategic planning to guarantee the sustainability of COCA’s programs for the community, our Board of Trustees made the decision to become an affiliate of Talbert House in October 2015.

Today, the programs COCA offers still maintain the intention of the founders, all with the same prevention focus. Recognizing the link between child abuse, bullying, and the cycle of violence, COCA also provides services around bully prevention, awareness, and peer abuse. Professional staff and trained volunteers provide prevention programs and services to thousands of children, parents and professionals each year. COCA is part of national, state and local alliances that work collaboratively to prevent child abuse and bullying.

Click here for more information about our affiliation with Talbert House.