Opinion on child abuse prevention: How Greenville can help all of its children to thrive

What happens in childhood can last a lifetime. We know that childhood adversity can have negative health effects into adulthood. Science shows that healthy, happy, and thriving children have better odds of becoming healthy and happy adults who can then proudly contribute to a thriving and healthy community.

Nearly 1,100 of Greenville’s children under age 5 are confirmed victims of neglect or abuse each year, and more than 10,000 statewide. SC ranks 41st nationwide for child health and well-being, according to Children's Trust of South Carolina, and we know that children exposed to adversity and who have experienced trauma and toxic stress are entering our preschools and schools every day without the support they need. As adults, it’s our responsibility to do something to reverse these outcomes.

Now more than ever, our families need us – organizations, governmental agencies, businesses, communities, neighborhoods, faith-based groups, and individuals – to join together to coordinate and align our systems and services to meet the diverse needs of children, especially those involved with our child-welfare system due to maltreatment. These are families in our county who are challenged with the most barriers to accessing and therefore benefitting from opportunities that could provide them with the protective factors needed to buffer the trauma that they have endured.

In response to the growing problems that prevent low-wealth families from accessing affordable, high-quality child care, A Child’s Haven (ACH) continues to deliver its proven, three-pronged model of therapeutic services (individual and family therapy and therapeutic child care), positively impacting an average of 430 clients per year. We are excited to share that ACH has been working toward developing a plan to replicate program services throughout the county to reach even more children in need.

We have also initiated a community impact pilot program achieved through structured collaboration with community partners and experts in multiple fields and systems, including mental health, judicial, child welfare, early childhood development, child care, education, public health, primary, and preventative healthcare.

Child abuse and neglect often occur in young children within families whose caregivers lack the resources, social support, and information to provide a healthy and responsive environment for their children to develop healthy social, emotional, and relational skills. When we support families within their communities by ensuring their access to preventative and early intervention services, we educate, connect and support the caregivers and whole family unit with proven approaches, services and tools to significantly reduce the risk of a child experiencing maltreatment, developmental delays, and child-care expulsion.

Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month is an opportunity to grow support for what we know must happen year-round: supporting parents and building communities so that families can readily access what they need. Children are safe when families are strong, and families are strong when communities wrap them in love and support. It takes all of us working together to ensure that our communities are places where children thrive. Prevention happens in partnership, and we are honored to be standing with you.

Child Abuse Prevention is anything that strengthens families and helps children to thrive. Prevention can be evidence-based programs that help parents with the skills to build a strong family, such as those provided at ACH. But it can also be simple actions as well, like helping an overwhelmed parent by taking the kids to the park for a few hours or becoming engaged with an organization like ACH.

You can also help others understand that we all have a role to play in preventing child maltreatment. Connect with advocates and stakeholders in your community to help build a strong network to support children and their families. You can assist families with connecting to local programs, supports and resources through events and outreach and share family-focused materials to help parents know where to find help. Everyone can play a role in preventing child abuse!

Children’s Trust is South Carolina’s prevention leader and the state chapter for Prevent Child Abuse America. It supports a network that shares our belief that all children should thrive, live in secure families, and be surrounded by supportive communities. We are proud to partner with these leaders in our community. We ask that everyone join with us to cultivate relationships, connections and places that help every child thrive. Visit achildshaven.org to learn more about how you can engage in the important work of A Child’s Haven.

The children in our Greenville community are counting on us.

Tanya Camunas is CEO of A Child’s Haven, a nonprofit that treats children with developmental delays and behavioral challenges resulting from limited resources, abuse, or neglect. ACH provides them and their caregivers with therapeutic treatment to stop the debilitating cycles of trauma and adversity and help families flourish.  Lyle Pritchard, MD, is a pediatrician and ACH board member.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Opinion: How community can work together to fight child abuse, neglect