April is Child Abuse Awareness Month

I’m a member of the Saratoga County Partnership for Safe Children which is comprised of local agencies who meet in an effort to improve identification of child abuse cases and to provide coordinated services to children who have been abused.  The majority of child abuse cases stem from situations and conditions that can be prevented in an engaged and supportive community. Situations in which abusive behavior occur can be any of the following: poverty, divorce, addiction, stress, limited education, job loss, and social isolation, and lack of parenting skills.

Simple support for children and parents can be the best way to prevent child abuse. Volunteer your time for mentoring programs, provide respite care and be a voice in support of these efforts in your community; be a friend to parents you know – offer to babysit; reach out to neighbors who may be isolated and support and include them; Enroll in parenting classes; and call or write your elected officials and ask them to support funding for child abuse prevention.

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If you know are concerned that a child is currently living with abuse, you may report this concern to the NYS Child Abuse Statewide Toll Free Telephone Number:
1-800-342-3720
TDD/TTY: 1-800-638-5163

If you believe that a child is in immediate danger, call 911 or your local police department.

Local support services: In Saratoga County  there is help for families that  need support and skills development. For those children who have been victims of abuse the Harriet M. West Child Advocacy Center is a central, child friendly location in which a comprehensive coordinated approach is take in response to allegations of child abuse. It is a place that puts the child’s need first and provides one location to interview, examine, and counsel abused children while preparing for prosecution of child abuse cases.

The Saratoga County Center for the Family offers a number of programs that help people deal with situations that may put them at risk of mentally, emotionally, or physically abusing their children. They offer a variety of parenting education classes that help parents learn to communicate, build strong relationships with their children and deal with difficult family situations.  They offer counseling to individuals who need guidance developing tools to get through everyday situations and family pressures as well as case management.