President Donald J. Trump signed a presidential declaration on March 29, 2018 to once again proclaim April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In it he asked that, “All Americans invest in the lives of our nation’s children, to be aware of their safety and well-being, and to support efforts that promote their psychological, physical and emotional development.”
The Children’s Bureau with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, identifies four major forms of child maltreatment – neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Frequently children suffer more than one of these forms of abuse. In 2016, 1,750 children died due to abuse or neglect.
Child abuse and neglect affects children of all ages, races and income levels. Yet there are certain risk factors associated with a higher risk of child abuse and neglect. These are:
- Immaturity of parents
- Unrealistic expectations stemming from a lack of knowledge of child development and behavior
- Stress – especially that caused by major life disruptions such as homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence or poverty.
- Substance use
- Intergenerational trauma – a parent’s own negative experiences of childhood impacting their own ability to form a relationship with, or care for their own child.
- Isolation
National Child Abuse Prevention Month recognizes the importance of families and communities working together to prevent child abuse and neglect and promotes the social and emotional well-being of children and families. It is used as an opportunity to increase awareness, and provide education and support to families through resources and prevention strategies.
Lund’s integrated adoption, clinical treatment, and child and family programs work to create strong, healthy families where children can thrive. This decreases the likelihood of abuse and neglect. Many of the risk factors listed above can be mitigated by increasing the ‘protective factors’ in a family. Protective factors are the strengths and resources that families draw on when life becomes challenging or stressful.
The Children’s Bureau identifies six protective factors key in the prevention of abuse and neglect:
Nurturing and attachment; knowledge of parenting and child development; parental resilience; social connections; concrete support for parents; and social emotional competence of children.
Lund’s family education, Reach Up case management, residential and outpatient treatment for substance use disorders and mental health challenges, playgroups, 5 STAR early childhood education, family engagement and post permanence support for adoptive families, all help to increase protective factors within families. Lund’s programs wrap around parents and children with trauma-informed, compassionate care that empowers families to break cycles of poverty, addiction and abuse. Visit our website to learn more.
Click here to access parent and caregiver tip sheets from the Child Welfare Gateway on how to tackle various family challenges and developmental stages in children.
If you suspect a child you know is being abused or neglected please call Vermont’s Child Protection Line to report it (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) – 1-800-649-5285.
