April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month!

Each year, we recognize this month as a time to show our support for keeping all children safe and helping every family thrive. The theme of this year’s awareness and impact campaign is “Building A Hopeful Future, Together.” Each day is an opportunity to build the foundation for our future. But we know we can’t do this alone – we all have a role to play as healthy partners in our communities.

The risk to our nation’s children of experiencing child abuse and neglect in times of extreme stress and uncertainty is quite high. Parents and caregivers face stressors like loss of employment, loss of income due to lack of paid leave, school and business closings, ongoing health concerns, uncertain childcare and homeschool arrangements, food insecurity, and more. Challenging life circumstances can overload and overburden parents and caregivers. Just like how a vehicle burdened with too much weight may be unable to move forward, overburdened parents and caregivers may be unable to provide the necessary care and support to their children. Community support and partnerships can help lighten the burden on families.

Our Partners in Prevention Teams across West Virginia have been doing just that! They provide necessities such as food, clothing, diapers and other supplies for families, conduct training and virtual home visits with parents, host social events and many other supportive efforts to help those in their local communities.