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NewsOur Dirty Little SecretBy Maria HerneSTAFF WRITER The REPUBLICAN & Herald April 15, 2007 It's a dirty little secret, but one that needs to be told - child abuse statistics are 62 percent higher in Schuylkill County than the state average. The most recent statistics from the Department of Public Welfare found 2.4 substantiated cases of abuse per 1,000 children in Schuylkill County, compared with the statewide average of 1.5 per 1,000. The number of reported cases in Schuylkill increased from 286 in 2004 to 315 in 2005, the latest available annual statistics. Gerard J. Campbell, executive director of the county's Children and Youth services agency, blames the problem on a number of things: parents with drug and alcohol problems, poverty and too many young parents who lack parenting skills. "We have a high incidence of drug and alcohol abuse in Schuylkill County. Economically, we have a high proportion of residents who rely on public services," he said. "Those are definitely risk factors to consider. Addiction and poverty can lead to neglect and abuse." According to the state Department of Health, 1,107 county residents were admitted to state-supported drug and alcohol treatment centers in fiscal year 2004-05. "When a person is addicted to drugs or alcohol, that becomes the center of their lives, and other things suffer, including their family," said Diane Rowland, a prevention specialist with the Schuylkill County Drug and Alcohol program. "Parental use is a risk factor in the home." There are also many first-time mothers under the age of 20 in the county, Campbell said. "We have more young mothers living in isolated, rural areas, who may not have good parenting skills, or an extended family to rely on for help and support," he said. "Often, they have poor parenting role models, or have experienced abuse as children themselves." Getting worse Domestic violence is an increasing problem in the county. From July to December 2006, Schuylkill Women in Crisis provided shelter to 43 women and 45 children, with four women and six children on a waiting list when the shelter was filled, said Executive Director Sarah T. "Sally" Casey said. And from July to December 2006, SWIC administered services other than shelter to more than 600 victims, including more than 2,600 hours of counseling for abused women and children. "In almost all cases when a woman is abused, her children are being abused also," Casey said. "In fact, statistics indicate that it's almost 100 percent likelihood that the child is being abused in some way, either physically or emotionally, if the mother is being abused. In most cases, we're providing services for families who are victims of abuse, rarely just a single woman." Almost 10 percent of all children in Schuylkill County are born to a mother under the age of 20, a risk factor in child abuse and neglect, according to 2006 statistics released by the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, a nonprofit agency that advocates for, and compiles statewide information about, child well-being. "Young mothers often don't have the coping skills they need to be a good parents, which can increase the risk of neglect or abuse," said Kathy Geller Myers, an information specialist with PPC. A majority of these children - more than 40 percent - are also born into low-income families, and 18 percent have mothers who are high school dropouts, the PPC said, other factors which can impact a child's well-being and lead to neglect and abuse. The report was based on the most recent information obtained from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the state departments of Health and Public Welfare and federal agencies. Programs vs. problem This month, which is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the state Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families released its annual report on child abuse, the Child Maltreatment 2005 report. Findings reveal that during 2005, the most recently reported fiscal year, an estimated 899,000 children in the United States were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect, and an estimated 1,460 children died as a result of abuse or neglect. Federal, state and local human services officials are hoping to combat the problem of child abuse by increasing education and early intervention programs for at-risk families. In fact, the Bush administration's proposed budget for fiscal year 2008 reflects this trend. It contains a $10 million increase for competitive grants to encourage states to better coordinate existing funding sources to successfully implement and sustain evidence-based, nurse/home visitation programs. One such program is the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, a national program locally funded and monitored through the county's Children and Youth services office. This 30-year-old child abuse prevention effort targets families that have one or more risk factors, including teen and single parents, low-income families, families that have a history of abuse or neglect, handicapped parents, families with a history of substance abuse, including drugs and alcohol, and other special situations. The county has administered the program since January 2003, serving more than 100 families, Campbell said. While counseling and treatment programs deal with the problem of child abuse after it occurs or is suspected, this program aims higher, he said. "It's aimed at preventing neglectful and abusive situations by helping families before the child is even born," Campbell said. Barbara Poncelet, a nursing supervisor with the Nurse-Family Partnership, said the program helps young mothers develop the vital skills they need to be better parents. The program has three goals, she said:
The agency graduated its first set of families in May 2005. Many clients lack a solid family support system or a positive parental role model; many of them were abused or neglected as children themselves, Poncelet said. "I've heard some really awful stories of abuse from many of these girls," she said. "You don't think that these things happen here in Schuylkill County, but they do. Tremendously bad cases of neglect and abuse. And then these children grow up to be parents themselves. And all too often the cycle continues, without intervention." Nurse-Family Partnership creates a home-based, individualized, one-on-one support system for parent and child, she said. "Our goal is to create a physically and emotionally healthier baby," said Poncelet, who said that more than 80 percent of the agency's clients are unmarried teens. The most recent statistics available for Schuylkill County from the Department of Public Welfare show that a little more than 38 percent of births in 2004 were to unwed mothers - compared to the statewide figure of just over 35 percent in the same year. Battling history Poncelet's client, Shannon Shobe, 23, of Tamaqua, is an exception; she's married and has a home of her own. But like many of the agency's clients, she's a high-risk case because of her history. Shobe said that she had a troubled upbringing, and she thought she lacked the skills necessary to be a good parent. When she first discovered she was pregnant, she was terrified. "I was shocked - I just freaked out," said Shobe, 23, mother of 1-year-old Emma. Her fear went beyond the usual "first-time parent jitters," she said. "I just felt with how I was raised, that I wouldn't be able to handle it," Shobe said. Since a few weeks into her pregnancy, Poncelet has been visiting Shobe. Even though her baby is a year old, she and her daughter still receive regular visits, but Poncelot said she believes they'll be one of the agency's success stories. "It's amazing, how far she has come; she's such a good mom to Emma," Poncelet said. "Most of the time, when I visit, we just talk, and I try to reinforce what she is doing, tell her she's doing a good job. She's established a good, positive network of family members and friends she can call to help her, which is important for the future." Although some research indicates that children who are abused or neglected are more likely to become poor parents themselves, Shobe said she believes that a victim of abuse can and must be the one to stop the cycle of violence in their own family. "No matter what happened in the past, I refuse to give up; I'm stubbornly determined that what happened to me doesn't happen to her," she said. "I believe that you create your own destiny." Nurse-Family Partnership: Outcomes In randomized controlled trials, conducted with three diverse populations beginning in Elmira, N.Y., 1977; in Memphis, Tenn., 1987; and Denver, Colo., 1994, targeting first-time, low-income mothers, research found:
Child Abuse Cases in Pennsylvania
NOTE: Substantiated reports are those which were founded as a result of judicial adjudication or indicated by the county or regional agency based on medical evidence, the child abuse investigation, or an admission by the perpetrator. Abuse cases, Living Arrangement Single Parent 46% Two Parents 32% Parent and Paramour 11% Placement (Foster Care/ Residential Care) 5% Relative 4% Legal Guardian 2% Unrelated Caregiver 1% Signs and Symptoms of Abuse and Neglect The Child:
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