City of Mansfield proclaims Child Abuse Prevention Month
April 19, 2017
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker issued a proclamation Tuesday evening designating April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in the city.
The proclamation was read by Safety-Service Director Lori Cope during the Mansfield City Council meeting.
Carl Hunnell, supervisor of public information and outreach, accepted the proclamation on behalf of the child welfare agency.
According to the proclamation, Richland County Children Services assessed more than 2,000 allegations and requests for service during 2016.
Hunnell thanked the city for its support. He noted costs associated with the placement of children continue to rise for the agency.
"Our placement costs in the last five years have grown 154 percent," he said. "It's gone from $567,000 in 2011 to $1.4 million last year."
He added the number of children in placement has jumped 59 percent, from 16,000 paid days of care in 2011 to almost 29,600 last year.
"This all happens at a time when the state of Ohio continues to lag far behind 49 other states in the amount of funding it provides for child welfare," he said.
