Our Family-Centered Principles of Partnership:  Everyone desires respect...Everyone needs to be heard...Everyone has strengths...Judgments can wait...Partners share power...Partnership is a process...

 April is Child Abuse Prevention Month 

What are Child Abuse and Neglect?

Abuse of a child is harmful mistreatment by a parent, guardian or caretaker, which may be physical, emotional, or sexual in nature. Neglect is continued failure to provide for a child's basic needs, and may be medical, educational, physical, or emotional in nature.

Click here for some signs of possible abuse or neglect.

What should I do?

If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, it is your legal obligation to report it. Call us at (828) 426-8257 or (828) 426-8200 and ask for the Child Protective Services "Intake Worker" to make a report. By law, your identity will be kept confidential. Read more here.

To help prevent child abuse, you can:

• Raise awareness of Child Abuse in your community, particularly by wearing a blue ribbon in April.
• Support parents in your community.
• Know the difference between abuse and discipline when raising a child. Discipline ought to help children achieve for themselves and feel proud when they do what is right.
• Explain rules to your child and stick to them.
• Look for signs of abuse.
• If a child should talk to you about being abused themselves, listen carefully and tell the child that you are going to report the abuse so that it can be stopped.
• Most importantly, be a nurturing parent!

For more information on Child Abuse Prevention in Caldwell County:

Contact Jennifer B. McCormick (E-mail) at the Caldwell Committee for Healthy Families. Address: Family Resource Center, 609 Harper Ave. Lenoir, NC 28645.
Phone: (828) 757-8632.

Online Child Abuse Resources

• Proclamation of Child Abuse Prevention Month 2006 in Caldwell County

• Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina: Public Awareness Page

• Prevent Child Abuse America: page on Child Abuse Prevention Month

• National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information

• FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Programs

• Child Abuse Prevention Foundation (National Exchange Club)

• Child Abuse Prevention Network

We are a United Way of Caldwell County Agency

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