Staff Spotlight: Tamara Hardman

Meet Tamara Hardman, the Prevention Educator for The Child's Advocacy Center for Northeast Louisiana which is a division of The Center for Children and Families. Tamara focuses on education and prevention by providing Child Body Safety, Internet Safety, and Mandated Reporter trainings free of charge to the community.

Through prevention, Tamara aims to create a safe space for participants to ask questions and gain a better understanding of child abuse. She helps the community understand how critical their role is in preventing child abuse and in doing so, save a child's life in the process.

Tamara states that she does this work because she believes in the importance of education and prevention. There have been multiple times after training that people have shared with her that they were unaware of the abuse that is happening right here in Northeast Louisiana. She is working towards equipping children and families with the tools they need to protect themselves and others against perpetrators and prevent any more trauma that child abuse causes.

When asked what impact she hopes to have on families in need, she states: "I hope that families I come in contact with know that there are people in our little community who truly care about them and only want the best for them. I hope that when I have finished working with those families, they are all the better for it. I know I am a better person having known them and having had the honor of working with them."

Tamara is originally from Alexandria, LA but moved to Northeast Louisiana and is an alumni of West Monroe High School and went on to attend ULM where she received her B.A. in Social Work, and is currently working on her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy. In 2015 she married the love of her life, Leo and together they have a Maltipoo named Boss. In her spare time, you can find her reading and putting together Legos.

If you or someone you know is interested in hosting a training regarding Child Body Safety, Internet Safety, or Mandated Reporting, reach out to Tamara at the information below:

Email: thardman@standforhope.org Phone: (318) 398. 0945 (ext 240)