April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month
Wear blue for kids April 8
—In 1983 President Ronald Reagan issued a presidential proclamation designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month to “Acknowledge the importance of families and communities working together to Prevent Child Abuse.”
Child abuse is preventable. “Child abuse is preventable by strengthening families and fostering healthy development of children,” said Executive Director of Center for Family Strengthening Lisa Fraser. “A community that cares about early childhood development, parental support, and maternal mental health, for instance, will foster nurturing families and healthy children.”
The Center for Family Strengthening partners closely with Family Resource Center Agencies as they connect to families in the community. The agencies are trained to recognize the absence of any one of the Five Protective Factors in a family, which may cause significant stress in the family and trigger potential abuse.
The Five Protective Factors are:
- Parental resilience
- Social connection
- Knowledge of parenting and child development
- Concrete support in times of need
- Children’s social and emotional development
The center has established educational programs and services that strengthen the family and address these protective factors in an effort to get the family back on track and prevent abuse.
To create the awareness of Child Abuse Prevention in San Luis Obispo County, the Center for Family Strengthening will kick off the month of April with promotion of Wear Blue 4 Kids—April 8.
The color blue symbolizes Child Abuse Prevention and helping families move from lives overwhelmed by abuse and neglect to lives based on nurturing and love. Join us and others in San Luis Obispo County—wear blue April 8.
On April 9, The 38th Annual Children’s Day in the Plaza, an annual event hosted by the San Luis Obispo County Child Care Planning Council, celebrates National Month of the Child. The event brings children and families to the Mission Plaza for a day of hands-on visual, literary and performing arts activities, at public engagement booths provided by community organizations and companies that provide learning opportunities to children, as well as spectacular youth performances. Children and families will have the opportunity to discover creativity, individuality, diversity and the arts while exploring community resources. Over 2500 children and adults join us each year for this amazing event. For more information visit http://www.sanluischildcare.org/childrens-day-in-the-plaza.html.
On April 22 the center will hold the 8th Annual Child Abuse Prevention Academy at Cuesta College starting at 9 a.m. through noon. The public is invited. Noted Pediatrician Nisha Abdul Cader, MD will be the guest speaker. he purpose of this year’s academy is to learn and discuss medical manifestations of childhood trauma, current treatment practices for children who suffer from trauma and the impact trauma has on the developing child. You will learn about SLO County Child Welfare and Differential Response Systems. Student participants are urged to attend and will receive a certificate of participation.
Dr. Cader is the medical director for the Suspected Abuse Response Team, pediatric consultant for Martha’s Place Children’s Assessment Center and supervising physician at the Juvenile Service Center for the County of San Luis Obispo, California. She received the 2012 Hands on Hero Award for her dedication to the health and well-being of the youngest and most vulnerable residents of San Luis Obispo County.
Statistics on child abuse
- In 2013, 679,000 children were victims of child abuse or neglect in the United States as reported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
- 1,484 children died as a result of abuse.
- Officials in SLO County responded to over 2,240 reports of child abuse or neglect. 492 cases were substantiated.
About Center for Family Strengthening (formerly SLO-CAP)
In 1988 the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors designated Center for Family Strengthening as the self-governing entity responsible for local efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. Center for Family Strengthening is dedicated to strengthening families through education and advocacy. Center for Family Strengthening partners with family support organizations in SLO County to provide resources to families in need, protect children from abuse and neglect, and ensure that strong families are a community priority. To donate or learn more about Center for Family Strengthening go to www.cfsslo.org or call (805) 543-6216
