Rally Marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April 12, 2018

Local event marks National Child Abuse Prevention Month

Members of the community Wednesday joined together to observe National Child Abuse Prevention Month at Graham Chevrolet.                 Lou Whitmire News Journal video
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MANSFIELD - Every April, Richland County Children Services observes National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Wednesday was no different.

A Wear Blue Day rally took place at 10 a.m. at Graham Automall, 1515 W. Fourth St., with a crowd of community leaders, mayors, county commissioners and members of law enforcement on hand to show their support during the short program in the parking lot.

Tim Harless, Children Services' director of community outreach and programming, said the annual event marks a way to let the community know the agency is open 24/7, 365 days a year.

"If you see something that is not quite right, make a call to the agency at 419-774-4100," he said.

He thanked social workers at the agency, which investigates child abuse and neglect every day. 

Harless said the agency does a lot of preventive services to keep families together.

He said foster parents are constantly being recruited.

"We're really in need of foster parents right now," Harless said. "We have 101 kids in our agency's custody, so if you have parenting left in you contact our agency."

There were 60 foster homes at the end of January 2017.

Richland County Commissioner Marilyn John read aloud a proclamation making April "Child Abuse Prevention Month" on behalf of Commissioners Darrell Banks, Tony Vero and herself.

In 2017, Richland County Children Services assessed 1,670 allegations and requests for services, an average of five new cases a day. At the end of 2017, agency caseworkers were involved with 389 open and ongoing cases involving 773 local children, according to the agency.

The agency is currently working with 143 kinship families to assist 248 local children, according to the agency's records. Kinship Care refers to a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative — or a non-related adult who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child or family has assumed the substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so.

The agency celebrated the adoptions of 14 children in 2017, according to the annual report.

Harless said children services is really about helping families as he introduced Deanna Williams, a HOPE (Helping Ohio Parent's Effectively) partner.

"She also provides our succeed group. Parents who are involved with our agency don't want to hear from social workers. They think we just blab, blab, blab, talk-speak bureaucratic yada, yada officials," Harless said. "She's actually lived it. She's done it. She's had her children removed. She's got her children back and she's come back to advocate for our agency about the work that we've done."

On April 20-21, the agency will again host the annual 24-hour Swim/Bike/Run at the Mansfield YMCA. Agency employees, Mansfield Y employees and members and supporters of the agency will be swimming, biking and running from 4 p.m. Friday until 4 p.m. Saturday. The annual event is a reminder that the agency is open to take calls about child abuse, neglect and dependency 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For more information or parenting tips, go to richlandcountychildrenservices.org. Call the Richland County Children Services 24-hour child abuse hotline at 419-774-4100 to report child abuse and neglect.

lwhitmir@nncogannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

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