April is child abuse prevention month. Here’s why that matters.
In the idyllic world of Disney’s Peter Pan, children get to experience the magic of play and imagination: children wander off with Pan and his Lost Boys to fight pirates, befriend pixies, and fly the night sky before heading home to loving parents and a warm bed.
While the story of Peter Pan is a fantastical one, we know that healthy child development requires a safe and nurturing home that fosters this type of play and exploration. Sadly, not every child grows up in a home that supports this healthy growth.
In fact, many families in Napa County struggle to meet their most basic needs. Last year alone, there were 121 substantiated victims of child abuse and neglect, but because child abuse is greatly underreported, this number is likely closer to 350.
Every child deserves a healthy and happy childhood, which is why every April, The Child Abuse Prevention Council, led by Cope Family Center, commemorates Blue Ribbon Month by raising awareness and funds to prevent child abuse and neglect.
From our work over the past 50 years, we know that even the most well-intentioned parents struggle to provide a safe and nurturing home for their children. It is important that, as a community, we increase our awareness and understanding of child maltreatment, so we can work together to keep children safe and create brighter futures for Napa’s children and families.
Child abuse and neglect can affect families from all walks of life, regardless of age, race, nationality or income level, but there are certain factors that can put families at increased risk. Common risk factors include intimate partner violence in the home, mental health issues, substance abuse, poverty, housing insecurity, systemic discrimination and environmental stressors like natural disasters.
Parenting alone poses its own unique challenges and stressors, and when combined with other struggles like those listed above, it can result in otherwise well-intentioned parents or caregivers harming or neglecting their children.
The experience of being abused or neglected as a child can result in trauma that is lasting and profound. Research shows that victims of child abuse and neglect are more likely to suffer from physical and mental health issues as adults, with an increased risk of depression, anxiety, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
Victims are also more likely to struggle with substance abuse in their lifetimes, to become incarcerated, and to require public assistance to meet their basic needs.
Thankfully, robust research also shows that there are protective factors that can help prevent or mitigate these risk factors and their subsequent consequences. Knowledge of parenting and child development is one such protective factor.
Parenting classes, like those offered through Cope, help parents understand their child’s behavior and respond in a positive and age-appropriate manner, reducing stress for both parent and child.
Home visiting programs, like Cope’s Parents as Teachers Program, can help families build other protective factors, such as nurturing and attachment and social and emotional competence of children. Family Support Specialists work in the homes of families to guide parents through parenting challenges and help them develop problem solving and communication skills.
These positive parenting skills help parents better meet their children’s physical, mental, and emotional needs. This is turn can help children better learn to regulate their emotions, communicate clearly, and build and maintain relationships, which has shown to improve children’s happiness and health.
Perhaps just as important is establishing a compassionate public system of support. CAPC member agencies are moving away from the current system and its focus on mandated reporting, which has historically stigmatized struggling parents and penalized them for needing help.
Instead, we are working toward implementing a nonjudgmental community support system that will result in less shame and fear around asking for help so that parents feel safer seeking services, making it more likely for them to do so and helping to keep children safe and sound.
Our hope is that, with knowledge and awareness of child abuse and neglect, as well as the appropriate support for the families in our community, the unique magic of childhood — that of health, creativity, imagination, and exploration – can be experienced by all children, and not just those in Disney films.
We all have a role to play in protecting the children in our community and creating brighter futures for Napa’s families.
Colleen Masi
Program Director