Manatee Children's Services

Manatee Children’s Services, a Child Advocacy Center dedicated to breaking the cycle of child abuse, provides a full spectrum of programs serving over 12,000 children and families annually. Our mission is “to advocate for and provide the resources, skills, and shelter to alleviate abuse through prevention and intervention for all children and their families.”

Since its inception in 1977 as the community’s first and only emergency shelter for abused children in foster care, MCS now offers programs in treatment, prevention, intervention, and residential services. Such programs include an emergency shelter, long-term group homes, mental health services, parenting education and training, forensic medical and specialized child victim interview services, support services for relative caregivers, teen pregnancy prevention, and children’s personal safety.

MCS is the only Child Advocacy Center in Manatee County, and our residential program houses the only emergency shelter for abused children in the county.