A different call to action to stop child abuse during coronavirus pandemic | Opinion

Along with the delivery of prevention programming, the Child Abuse Prevention Association has provided care to foster children since 1985 through its Open Arms Children’s Home and foster care programs.

COVID-19 brought a new set of challenges not just to CAPA but to everyone. From telecommuting to personal protection equipment to homeschooling, we all have worked outside of any box we’ve ever known trying to navigate the waters of a global pandemic.

From CAPA’s perspective, this crisis has also created new challenges for the child welfare system, a perfect vacuum to hide children suffering from maltreatment.

The S.C. Department of Social Services Investigations Dashboard shows an average of 4,700 investigations per month in their last reporting cycle. And then the pandemic hit. In April, we saw investigations drop to 2,587 and then 2,622 in May — a 45% drop from the typical month. These numbers are gut-wrenching.

We know, unequivocally, that child abuse did not magically stop at the onset of the coronavirus. Quite the opposite. Child maltreatment, whether abuse or neglect, increases when parents are under stress.

Parents are dealing with financial devastation, being homebound, losing loved ones, anxiety, depression, caring for sick family members, or being sick themselves.

Children are exhibiting behaviors that they may not under normal circumstances.

When you combine a parent’s stress and a child’s appropriate reaction to a pandemic, you have an environment ripe for abuse or neglect. Add to that the children who were already being molested, beaten, or starved before the pandemic.

Bottom line, the number of risk factors for abuse has increased and the number of children coming into foster care in South Carolina has plummeted. Why?

Because children are not being seen.

It is typical for the child welfare system to see a decline in investigations during the summer due to schools being out. This summer, schools are out, most daycares remain closed, many camps chose not to open, and well-child visits are not happening.

The adult eyes, the mandated reporters, who normally safeguard this at-risk population, are just not there.

And this is our clarion call.

CAPA typically looks to our community for financial support to help take care of the children and families we serve. Today’s calls to action are different:

▪ We desperately need the community to be vigilant in looking for signs of abuse and neglect and then reporting it to SCDSS or law enforcement. State law does not say that you have to be certain that a child is being abused; it states rather that you just need a “reason to believe” child maltreatment may be occurring. You may remain anonymous.

▪ At some point, these children will be discovered, and some taken into foster care. The number of foster homes in South Carolina remains inadequate. CAPA recruits and helps license new foster families through DSS. We then support them through their foster care journey. Please consider reaching out to CAPA to learn more about being a foster parent https://capabeaufort.org/foster/.

▪ If you see a parent struggling, tell them about the National Exchange Club Parent Aide Program at CAPA. We have a Parent Aide who goes into homes and helps assist the family in any way needed: parenting skills, financial guidance, housing assistance, or employment. The program is voluntary, and parents can self-refer https://capabeaufort.org/exchange-parent-aide/.

With the issue of racial disparity finally getting the attention it deserves, we would be remiss if we did not state there are a disproportionate number of minority children in foster care, and this issue must be systemically addressed. But let us be clear, child abuse spans all races, ethnicities, and income and education levels; no population is exempt.

Protecting our community’s vulnerable children has long been a group effort, and today that is no different.

Christina Wilson is executive director of the Child Abuse Prevention Association; https://capabeaufort.org.