DHS highlights National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April 05--Not everyone is born and raised under the best circumstances, but when children are found to have been abused or neglected, a clear line has been crossed.

To spotlight National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Department of Human Services in Tahlequah participated in "Build a Blue Ribbon Tree for Kids" campaign, as trees in communities across the state are decorated with to raise awareness for child abuse prevention.

Leslie Nix, supervisor at DHS, said the blue ribbon tree serves as a reminder that it's everyone's responsibility to prevent child abuse and neglect.

"We believe that everyone has a role, not just in preventing it, but also for the children who are actively involved with our system," said Nix. "Everybody has a role and everybody can help."

The type of abuse or neglect varies from case to case. Physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse or exploitation are among the types. Betty Bates, supervisor at DHS, said she doesn't know if there's anything she hasn't walked into when investigating a report.

"We see a lot of substance abuse -- drug-endangered children," said Bates. "There's sexual abuse, physical abuse, and a lot of exposure to domestic violence. If you're exposing your child to domestic violence, that falls under neglect. If a child were to be injured during that domestic violence, it would be abuse. You see a lot of neglect due to home environment, educational neglect and things like that."

One element of preventing children from experiencing abuse is being able to recognize the signs and symptoms. Some of the signs could be changes in behavior, failure to receive treatment for medical problems brought to a parent's attention, or a lack of adult supervision. More obvious signs could include when the child has unexplained bruises or black eyes, shrinks away at the approach of adults, or seems frightened of the parents when it's time to go home.

There is a Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline -- 800-522-3511 -- that people can call to report any signs of abuse. Nix said everyone in Oklahoma is a "mandated reporter."

"It's not an individual's job to investigate child abuse," she said. "That's what we're here for. If you suspect it, call the hotline. It may or may not meet criteria, but we don't give the reporter's information out, so it is anonymous."

Once a referral to the DHS is accepted for an investigation or assessment, DHS service workers try to locate the family.

"The first thing we try to do is we try to find the victim, so we can interview them," said Bates. "Then we talk to other people who know the family and then talk to the parents. A lot of what we do is prevention. Our goal is to help families, so we go out and see -- if there's something going on -- what can we do to make sure these kids are going to stay safe in their homes."

Bates said that ultimately, DHS wants the children to be able to stay in their own homes, with their own families. But that's not always possible. There are currently 98 children in Cherokee County who are considered deprived. Sixty-nine children are in custody -- 44 boys and 25 girls. And 40 of those 69 are placed in areas outside of Cherokee County.

"Unfortunately, we don't have enough homes, but we work very hard to make sure they're in a family-like setting," said Angie DeMoss, child welfare supervisor. "There are rare occasions where we have to put children in shelters. We have some in shelters rights now, and those shelters aren't even here. So not only are they away from their schools, their families, and their own beds, but they're not even in a house. They're across the state in a shelter with other children. It's very difficult."

Once a child is removed from a home, there's only a 40 percent chance he or she will return. There's a lack of traditional foster homes in the area for children who find themselves with DHS -- one of the reasons why so many are taken out of county. Even if becoming a foster parent isn't in the cards, people can still participate in DHS' volunteer program, and there are ample opportunity for donations.

"Even when children are removed, oftentimes they're sitting here at the office or don't have a place to go, and the workers are busy trying to find placement, so we could always use volunteers," said Nix. "Sometimes we have children in the hospital, so volunteers can go and sit with them."

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