April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, Children’s Fund, a nonprofit serving children in San Bernardino County, encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making their community a better place for children and families.
“San Bernardino County has seen far too many cases of child abuse,” states Dr. Ciriaco “Cid” Pinedo, Children’s Fund President & CEO. “We’re shining a light on the abuse and asking the public to help.”
Research by the UC Berkeley Center for Social Services Research (JUL 2019) reveals that for every 1,000 children in San Bernardino County, 56.7 of them have experienced abuse or neglect. That is higher than the 52.9 children per 1,000 in the state of California. National statistics show that 1 in 4 children have been abuse or neglected.
“Research shows us that the majority of reports of suspected child abuse come from mandatory reporters at school and day care,” says Pinedo. “Now that children across the county are not in class and learning from home, abuse and neglect may not be noticed.”
Children’s Fund is encouraging the community to play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect, especially in the current COVID-19 environment. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.
Multiple protective factors are present in healthy families. Protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, or communities that mitigate the likelihood of abuse and promote healthy development and wellbeing.
Promoting the following protective factors is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect:
• Nurturing and attachment
• Knowledge of parenting and of child/youth development
• Parental resilience
• Social connections
• Concrete supports for parents
• Social and emotional competence of children
“April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children and strengthening families," said Shari Hunke, Director of Marketing and PR at Children’s Fund. "Everyone's participation is critical.”
Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best thing our community can do to prevent child abuse and neglect. “Follow us on Facebook at ChildrensFundSBCounty for tips on how to strengthen families and grow those all-important protective factors,” invites Hunke. “While you’re sheltering at home, use this time to connect with your children and to reach out to families who may be struggling with social isolation, parenting stress, or financial anxiety.”
For more information about National Child Abuse Prevention Month, please visit www.childwelfare.gov/preventionmonth.
Founded in 1986 by the Honorable Patrick Morris, the late Jack H. Brown, and Co-founder A. Gary Anderson, Children’s Fund is a nonprofit whose mission is giving our vulnerable children support, opportunity, and hope by breaking destructive cycles through community partnerships. Last year, Children’s Fund provided more than 66,215 services to children in need in San Bernardino County and since its inception has facilitated over 1.7 million points of service to children and families. For more information on Children’s Fund or to learn how you can give a child hope for brighter tomorrows, go to www.childrensfund.org or call 909.379.0000.