Child Abuse Prevention Month: Strong communities play a roll in preventing abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and offers our community a time to increase awareness of the issues related to child maltreatment, identify strategies to strengthen families and understand how everyone in our community can be an everyday hero for children.

Strong, nurturing communities support families and play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect and promoting child and family well-being. Support can come in the form of helping to watch the kids for a couple of hours,

Child abuse and neglect can happen in any family, in any community regardless of social or economic conditions. Research shows that parents and caregivers who have support—from family, friends, neighbors, and their communities—are more likely to provide safe and healthy homes for their children. When parents lack this support or feel isolated, they may be more likely to make poor decisions that can lead to neglect or abuse.

According to the El Dorado County Child Abuse Council, the best way to prevent child maltreatment is to help parents build the capacity to understand and meet their children’s emotional, physical, and developmental needs and protect their children from harm.

El Dorado County now has community resources for families at five Community Hubs designed to decrease social isolation, increase knowledge of parenting and child development and to connect families to resources in times of need. In South Lake Tahoe this hub is at the library, located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd.

All of the Community Hubs offer classes, groups, and activities for families with children ages 0-18 and are staffed by a team of family engagement, literacy, and health specialists.

Their schedule is posted here: https://www.first5eldorado.com/hub-5. For more information about this and the other four hubs in the county, visit www.first5eldorado.org or call 530-622-5787.

Not only does the county offer the Hubs, but there are also materials available on their Facebook page and https://www.childwelfare.gov.

For more information on how the community can prevent child abuse and how to recognize the signs of maltreatment, please contact the El Dorado Child Abuse Prevention Council https://eldoradocapc.org/ or visit https://www.childwelfare.gov.

- El Dorado Child Abuse Prevention Council