Working to Stem Child Abuse, Neglect

COLD SPRING – April is Child Abuse, Neglect Prevention Month. Sue Conrad and Christa Weis briefed Cape May County League of Municipality members on the statistics impacting local children. They also asked mayors and others to consider passing a resolution to heighten public awareness of the subject.
“We are reaching out to you,” said Conrad, “As a prevention partnership, we are hoping we can make more of a mark.”
Weis is assistant director with Quality Care Resource & Referral Services, Inc. based in Rio Grande. While social service agencies work with families to provide counseling services, “Agencies cannot do enough,” she said.
New Jersey Kids Count for 2013 ranked Cape May County 18th in overall child wellness, 19th in investigation of child abuse neglect, 21st in out of home placements, 21st in juvenile arrests, and 21st in unemployment. The survey noted that 46 percent of abuse and or neglect involved substance abuse.
Another slide showed regarded adverse childhood experiences. Those were deemed “major risk factors for the leading causes of illness, poor quality of life, and early death within the nation.” Some outgrowths of those childhood experiences include alcoholism and abuse, fetal death, illicit drug use, liver disease, sexually-transmitted diseases, suicide attempts, unintended pregnancies and early initiation of smoking, as well as entrance into the criminal justice system.
Conrad and Weis stressed “Hope through community partnerships.” Those include personal, in-home parenting visitation, parenting classes and support groups, quality child care, family literacy resources, pre-K to 12 education and training, employment and housing assistance and neighbor, community partnership.
Quality Care Resource & Referral Services, Inc. (QCR&R) serves families and child care providers within the Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties through a variety of subsidy, referral, support and educational programs.
According to the agency’s website, more than 5,500 children and 600 child care providers benefit from Quality Care programs designed to help parents identify and secure appropriate childcare from qualified providers in their area.
Funded through the state Division of Family Development QCR&R provides voucher support to parents and caregivers and oversees the registration and approval of child care providers while maintaining a diverse calendar of educational offerings.
Through its initiatives, QCR&R staff members promote the positive educational, social and emotional growth of children through the support of their families and those entrusted with their daily care.