Montgomery County Children’s Services Division (CSD) is reminding everyone to look out for warning signs of child abuse and neglect. To promote this message, the county proclaimed April as child abuse prevention month at an event on Monday, April 10 at the Haines Children's Center.
The CSD reported that there were 4,199 child abuse and neglect investigations in 2022. That’s a drop from the previous three years, with 2021 being the highest at 4,701 cases. More than half of those cases are physical abuse and neglect. This year, the CSD has opened over 1000 cases so far.
Libby Nicholson, The Director of Children’s Advocacy Center CARE House, said child abuse thrives when people look away.
“I know you may feel you're only one person, but collectively we have everything it takes to break this cycle of abuse and build an abuse free community for our kids so that no child suffers in silence.” Nicholson said. “We need to make it our business.”
Judge Helen Wallace from the Montgomery County Juvenile Court said the court received 977 referrals for cases involving abuse, neglect and dependency in 2022. That compares to 1288 cases in 2021 and 817 in 2020.
Judge Wallace said those lower numbers in 2020 could have been a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We have to recognize that we went through several years of kids not being in school, not being around teachers and other caring adults that may notice bruises or strange behavior,” Wallace said. “ So we're dealing with the ramifications of that. It’s very important that we understand that our kids are in crisis.”
County officials are encouraging everyone to report concerns of child abuse and neglect to their 24-hour hotline. Craig Rickett, the associate director of CSD Children Services said reporting concerns is important to determine if a child might need help.
"The law says that if you suspect that there may be child abuse or child neglect, make a report to the local children's services agency. And that's what I would encourage the community to do.” Rickett said.
Warning signs can include unexplained injuries, frequent absences from school, fear of parents or caregivers, extreme behavior changes or problems at school, nightmares or bedwetting.
“I don't expect people to know for certain. If you have a suspicion, if you see something, say something,” said Rickett.
Montgomery County’s 24-hour hotline to report concerns is 937-224-KIDS (937-224-5437). To learn more about the signs and symptoms and information of child abuse and neglect, review the following information:
