Prevention is key to protect Florida’s children
Release date: 4/1/2010
Florida’s Child Abuse Hotline received more than 220,000 calls last year – a 33 percent increase over the previous year. Of the victims who lost their lives – 201 – the majority (30 percent) died from physical abuse. Unsafe sleep environments and drowning claimed 54 percent more.*
To raise awareness of the horrific, ongoing problem of child abuse and neglect, April is recognized as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
“We should remember … each call represents a real child, a precious being who might not survive childhood,” says David A. Bundy, President and CEO of Children’s Home Society of Florida. “That’s why prevention is key in the fight against child abuse and neglect.”
Children under age 5 make up the majority of child abuse-related fatalities in Florida. Unable to defend themselves, these children depend upon their parents for protection, yet 76 percent of perpetrators are parents. Often, parents are unable to cope with the stresses of child-rearing or are unaware of the detrimental consequences of their decisions, such as co-sleeping arrangements with infants.
Several community organizations, including Children’s Home Society of Florida, offer in-home parental education and family strengthening services to guide parents through the adjustments of raising a child. Such programs are proven to decrease rates of abuse and neglect; raising awareness of these critical programs is necessary to protect Florida’s children.
In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Children Home Society of Florida’s 14 divisions across the state will host events and share information on how people can become involved in the fight against child abuse and neglect.
About Children's Home Society of Florida
Created in 1902, Children's Home Society of Florida (CHS) is the oldest and largest statewide private not-for-profit provider of services to children and families in Florida. The organization serves children and families through a full spectrum of prevention and intervention programs. Services include foster care, adoption, child development, emergency shelters, residential group homes, independent and transitional living for teens, parent education, counseling, mentoring, treatment for developmentally disabled children, and more. CHS, which served more than 97,000 children and families throughout the state in 2008-2009, is headquartered in Winter Park, Fla., and offers services in more than 100 locations by more than 1,500 staff members dedicated to providing child-focused, family-centered care.
*Florida Child Abuse Death Review, Annual Report, 2009. http://www.flcadr.org/attach/2009CADRrpt.pdf