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Denise Estep of Job and Family Services said that the department is reactionary in nature — so prevention has to be a collective effort with the community.
“Children are our future,” Estep said. “The children in our community need help.”
Close to 800 families were served in Clark County last year, representing more than 1,800 children.
The Child Advocacy Center saw about 270 of those children. The advocacy center works specifically with children who have been sexually or physically abused, witnessed a violent crime, or were sexually exploited or trafficked.
Nearly half of the children at the advocacy center were referred for some degree of mental health services and 10 percent were either in foster care or with kinship givers.
Champaign County handled more than 310 investigations and assessments into abuse or neglect last year.
The number of children in foster care in Champaign County nearly doubled from 2015 to 2017, causing a shortage in local foster families, according to the county office.
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A lot of the increase was due to the opioid epidemic, Job and Family Services said at the time. More than 90 percent of Champaign County children in foster care had to be removed from their home because of parental substance abuse.
“We see all the difficult things happening and that our children are exposed to right now in our community,” Estep said. “Anything we can do to help each other — help support families, help support our kids, is going to make our community better in the long run.”
Estep said the department has been planting pinwheels on the front lawn for decades. They also can be seen in other parts of the city, including downtown on City Hall Plaza and in front of the Hollenbeck Bayley Creative Arts and Conference Center.
The county will hold other events this month to raise awareness of child abuse. On April 11, the Children’s Services Division will ask local workers to wear blue to work.
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It will also hold a blue ribbon tree contest. The blue ribbon is an international symbol of child abuse prevention, according to Children’s Services.
First Responders and Bikers Advocating Against Abuse are hosting a shoe drive this month. Residents can donate new or gently used shoes to support families in need. Shoes can be dropped off at the lobby of Job and Family Services or the Springfield Regional Medical Center.
To report child abuse in Clark County, call the Department of Job and Family Services at 937-327-1748. In Champaign County, residents can call 937-484-1500.
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