Family Support Center
- April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
- Utah revealed that in 2019, 10,950 children were CONFIRMED victims of child abuse, 37% (4,033) of these were within Salt Lake County.
- Spreading/raising awareness - why it's important for people to be vigilant
- It’s even more imperitive we discuss Child Abuse Awareness due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic
- Studies show in times of crisis child abuse increases, but reporting decreases.
- DCFS in Utah has seen a more than 50% decrease in reports since the beginning of March, unfortunately this is not due to a decrease in cases.
- Professionals report more than half (56%) of all cases to CPS, and teachers the most frequent (16.2%) source of reports.
- Families are NOT ALONE. There are several agencies still open and ready to help families cope.
- Family Support Center is one of them
- Crisis Nurseries are available to accept emergencies 24/7, and respite/stress breaks during posted hours (see website for details)
- Clinical Services are accepting new clients- medicaid is accepted.
- Family Mentor Program- 12 week parent education course, that is currently being offered virtually. This is a great opportunity for families to receive in-home, personalized help and learn how to improve parenting skills and cope with the daily stressors of life.
- LifeStart Village- a self-sufficiency program for single-parent families and their young children. Housing is included in the program, and applications are currently being accepted.
- CAP events: Our Discovery Gateway event has been cancel. List what we’re doing instead
- How people listening can help - make sure you’re using healthy coping techniques
- Zoom, Google Hangouts- it may take extra work but reach out to neighbors and friends
5 Protective Factors
- Social Connections -call or facetime your neighbors and family members
- Concrete support in times of need
- Knowledge of child development
- Parental Resilience
- Social and emotional competence of children
Photo: Getty Images