NORWICH – In an effort to raise awareness of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, Child Advocacy Centers across the state recently organized ‘Pinwheels for Prevention’ campaigns.
According to Van Miles, Coordinator of the Chenango County Child Advocacy Center, the pin wheels symbolize a happy and carefree childhood, and the belief that protecting kids early on is much less detrimental and much more cost effective than trying to address the trauma after something happens to them.
The center planted one pinwheel for each child victim assisted in just 2016 alone. Pinwheels were placed not only in front of the Child Advocacy Center in Norwich, but also in front of the Norwich Police Department and at the Norwich Family YMCA, to help spread the awareness throughout the city.
The Chenango County Child Advocacy Center and participating members of our multidisciplinary team wanted to both help raise awareness and encourage the community to get involved.
“Preventing abuse starts with caring adults taking responsibility for protecting children,” said Miles. “The prevention of child abuse is everyone’s responsibility; everyone plays a role.”
Miles offered tips to help that that include:
• Really listen to children. Children need undivided attention when they are talking. Promise to be patient and remember that they sometimes need to move at slower pace with their words.
• Make special time for children. Singing, talking, and positively interacting with children can help develop their growing brains and set the stage for future learning.
• Be supportive of parents, especially new ones. Offer to babysit, run an errand or cook a meal when a family seems stressed out. Give them some alone time to catch their breath.
• Acknowledge that parenting is tough work. Reassure a parent coping with a difficult situation in public. Help amuse a restless child in a waiting room. Listen carefully when the parents in your life tell you they feel overwhelmed.
• Be a good neighbor. Raising a child is a very important and very difficult job. Get to know the families in your neighborhood and point out the special things they can do for their children.
• Take steps to keep children safe. Intervene when you know abuse is occurring. There are lot of resources in the community to help protect the child and provide tools to parents.
To reach the local advocates with general questions about community resources please call (607) 334-5437 (KIDS).
For further information, visit nationalchildrensalliance.org, cvac.us, or find the Child Advocacy Center on Facebook.