Advocates stress importance of child abuse awareness, prevention

April 02--Those who respond to child abuse in Parker County want area residents to know that the problem is widespread and that they shouldn't hesitate to report suspected abuse or neglect.

Parker County CPS received 1,084 investigations last year and had 443 confirmed victims of abuse, according to Jana Jordan, CPS investigations supervisor for Parker County.

The number of foster children in Parker and Palo Pinto counties currently assigned a volunteer advocate from CASA -- Hope for Children is 527, according to Barb Tucker, executive director of the organization.

"People are appalled when they hear the numbers because they just don't realize the cases that we have," Parker County Children's Advocacy Center Executive Director Cheryl Bullock. "And we're starting to see the sex trafficking. And we're starting to see those things here. And people think that it doesn't happen here but it does."

Parker County Judge Mark Riley and county commissioners proclaimed April child abuse prevention and awareness month as local child abuse responders hope one major effort comes to fruition in the next several days to weeks.

Bullock said they hope to open Parker County's first Child Advocacy Center later this month.

Forensic interviewer Brittany Norman, who has done more than 470 forensic interviews over the past three years, was sought out and brought on to the staff at the child advocacy center in February.

Jordan said they expect the child advocacy center, which will assist in serious physical abuse and child sexual assault cases, to improve the quality of CPS investigations.

"The forensic [interview] is really the key to a lot of these criminal and CPS investigations," Jordan explained about the significance of Norman's role in Parker County.

In addition to child advocacy center staff, CPS's Jordan and her team of seven investigators, law enforcement investigators will be housed in the same building, as well.

"We work very close with law enforcement but this is going to just bring us closer," Jordan said.

In addition to providing a forensic interviews, the advocacy center will provide counseling and support services for the victim and non-offending family members.

Jordan said she believes some members of the public have a misconception that CPS workers take children because they want to.

"Our top priority is to safely leave children in the home," Jordan said. "If we can't safely do that, to place with family. And if we can't place with family, that is the only reason we ever take a child out of the home."

"I think we all need for the citizens to know that it's here and we need to report if we suspect something's going on," Tucker said. "It's hard for people to go ahead and make that call to the hotline because they always think that they are going to be identified but they are not, but that's their big fear."

"We hear that all the time," Tucker said. "Well I would have called, or I should have called, or I thought about calling."

Bullock said if something seems off, people should call so that authorities can do a welfare check.

"Some people think that they shouldn't butt into other people's business," Jordan said. "We have to change that culture. A child's safety, a child being abused is your business. It's everybody's business. It's our community's business. Because when we allow that to go on in our community, it changes our community. And not for the better."

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