Child abuse concerns rise as school closures mean fewer eyes on kids
In the midst of a virus pandemic that has shuttered schools and workplaces and is creating financial and job-related stress for families, some social workers have another concern on their mind: child abuse and neglect.
An average of 41 Kern County kids a day were referred to Child Protective Services in 2018, and most of those referrals come from teachers, doctors and counselors, mandated reporters and people whose jobs involve interacting with children on a daily basis, according to Tom Corson, the director of Kern County Network for Children. On average, eight of the calls were substantiated neglect, he said.
"My fear right now is nobody has eyes on these kids," Corson said.
Corson's organization decided right away that while their office buildings would be closed, case managers would continue to make contact with kids in their program. The network is charged with child abuse prevention, including providing funds and oversight of social workers throughout the county who check on children in situations that don't rise to the level of being tracked by Child Protective Services. The idea is to provide intervention services for the family before things get worse.
One of the main concerns for Corson is children being left unattended or not having basic needs met. Corson said schools continuing to provide food for children is helpful. But in a county where a third of children already live in poverty, Corson suspects many parents will likely go to work during this time and leave children unattended.
Amy Travis, executive director of Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kern County, said she is also focused on continuing contact between CASA advocates and the children they work with.
CASA provides abused and neglected children with a highly-trained advocate to speak on their behalf throughout court proceedings. The advocate is expected to build a relationship with the child and check in on the child weekly. In some cases that may happen by phone or video call, right now, Travis said. But if need be, advocates will still visit a child's home wearing protective gear and taking proper precautions.
"When families are contained and forced to stay inside all day, there’s new triggers. It is a stressor," Travis said.
Travis pointed to data from Cook Children's Hospital, a pediatric facility in Texas, that showed during the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009, the main cause of trauma among children at the hospital changed from motor vehicle accidents to abusive head injuries. The hospital posted a news story on its website March 20 saying that it treated seven cases of severe child abuse in the prior week, a nu...
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director