PORT TOWNSEND — Staff members with a public health program will be seen in businesses, schools and other agencies distributing kits and encouraging awareness of ways to prevent child abuse.
“We want to get the whole community involved in abuse prevention,” said Julia Danskin, Jefferson County Public Health nursing director.
“It really takes a village to make this happen.”
Preventing in-progress abuse is essential, but a kind action or a mentoring effort can have a lasting positive effect by providing a positive balance for a troubled youths, said Ann Dean, manager of the Jefferson County Community Network Program, which is now in its fourth year.
“A lot of parents are doing the best they can,” Dean said.
“The result of this economy is that a lot of kids don’t get the attention they need.”
Dean administers a program operating out of the Jefferson County Health Department that seeks to provide information, support and intervention when necessary in cases of abuse or neglect.
The awareness program is the distribution of an “Our Kids Our Business” media kit, which provides guidelines and includes “pledge forms” that outline five promises people can make in order to understand and prevent abuse and neglect.
The promises are to be a caring adult, provide safe places for constructive activities, give children a healthy start and future, provide them with an effective education that gives them marketable skills and provide opportunities to serve.
These promises are unspecific, but those pledging will be added to a database that will allow people to connect with instructions on how to take concrete action, Dean said.
The database from previous pledge years contains about 300 people, a number Dean hopes to double during this year’s campaign.
Symbol of prevention
Also part of the campaign is the distribution of badges and pinwheels, which have become a symbol of child abuse prevention.
Dean said the poor economy has increased the frequency of abuse and neglect and also has impacted the program.
Dean said the program costs around $5,000 annually and receives funding from four state sources, with staff time the only expense for the county.
While each parent may have their own child-rearing strategy, Dean is hoping that people who observe abusive situations will report them.
“We want to hear about any situation where the child is in danger,” Danskin said.
While extreme cases should be reported to the Health Department, the kit offers specific tips to defuse a situation that may occur in a public place, like politely asking whether the parent needs help or commiserating about their own children.
Any threat to a child’s safe existence has lifelong consequences, program staffers said.
Abuse and neglect are year-round problems but are getting special attention in April, as it has been designated Child Abuse Prevention Month.
For more information, phone 360-3845-9400.
For a list of resources, visit http://tinyurl.com/3tskbhm to see a PDF.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
