ACTUAL OP-ED...

Repeatedly we read the everyday headlines that report child abuse, and most often, child deaths. But how frequently, do we hear of what is being done daily to prevent child abuse? How often are we exposed to the personal stories of families that are keeping it together (albeit barely), so that they do not enter the foster care system? How regularly do we hear about the parents that are taking action to prevent themselves from abusing their children? How often do we recognize the efforts that social workers make daily to keep families together? It’s entirely too often that we hear about workers being fired in response to systemic failure and “cracks” through which kids have fallen. More often we need to hear about cracks that have been filled with positive results, and we need to participate in filling the cracks. In 2006, there were more than five million cases of child abuse reported nationally, and in [YOUR STATE] there were more than [YOUR STATE’S] reported alone. What do we picture when we hear a family’s been broken-up due to abuse or neglect? Perhaps some of us picture low-income families with little education and substance abuse problems. Perhaps some can’t even begin to picture under what circumstances such abuse occurs. You’d be surprised at part of the actual picture that involves upper-income, good and caring families in which you would never have suspected abuse. A child’s safety being at risk comes in many different packages. Here at [YOUR AGENCY], we work with a rainbow of families from all different backgrounds to help them prevent or recover from committing abuse [OTHER THINGS].  [YOUR STATE] currently ranks as [YOUR NUMBER] in the “Kids Count” Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which measures key indicators of child well-being. If our score was this low on any state economic matter, there would surely be extensive reform along with “hell to pay”. Perhaps you will breathe a sigh of relief when you find that [YOUR STATE] has several decent and effective programs that prevent child abuse from occurring. [MENTION: programs, legislation, positive results] On a national level, the Child Welfare League of America is actively supporting legislation that will recreate a White House Conference on Children and Youth, the last one being held in 1970. Incredibly effective policy has come from past White House Conferences on Children, and another federally mandated meeting of child welfare experts is long overdue. Such a conference would examine the latest research and numbers, setting policy and reform recommendations to protect children into the next decade. Why in the world has it been almost 40 years since this has happened? Hopefully this will gain the national attention that children certainly deserve. And how about the rest of us? [YOUR STATE’S] children are the responsibility of everyone. If we work together, we can increase the number of children that we save from abuse and neglect. Even the smallest steps taken to encourage open communication within your own family and to teach your own children about safety skills can make huge differences. Volunteering to help other families do the same would begin to change the numbers mentioned above. Other things you can do are to mentor a family or child, support your local agencies, and of course, report suspicious treatment of children – prevention is key to keeping it from being “too late”. If we work together, we will be able to help children reach their full potential one by one. Acknowledging National Child Abuse Prevention Month is just the beginning of the incredible impact that each one of us could have in a child’s life.