It’s time to say eNOugh.
Child Abuse Response and Prevention
It can be difficult to address concerns of child abuse but avoiding the needs of an abused or neglect child can lead to a child experiencing negative outcomes such as poor academic performance, aggression towards peers or adults, lack of non-violent problem-solving skills, mental health challenges and more.
To help you in making a well-informed decision about how to intervene or become more educated about child abuse, check out these resources:
Child Abuse Response
Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Law – In the state of North Carolina, ALL persons are mandated to report suspicions of child abuse (physical abuse, sexual abuse or neglect). For more details, click “Read More” to read the specific legal language about “duty to report abuse, neglect, dependency or death due to maltreatment”
Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect – Reporters of suspected child abuse should contact their local county Department of Social Services (DSS) to make a child protective services intake report. To find the telephone number of your local county DSS in order to make this report, click “Report”, and choose your county.
Child Advocacy Centers – These are agencies that provide medical, therapeutic and advocacy services to children suspected of being abused. You can find a directory of child advocacy centers by going to the website of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Carolina.
NC Child Treatment Program – To find a therapist who has been professionally trained to address the impact and behaviors a child may display because of abuse or trauma (such as physical abuse, witnessing the abuse of their parent or loss of a beloved parent/relative), click “Locate” to locate a specialized therapist that serves your county of residence.
Child Abuse Prevention
Prevent Child Abuse NC (PCANC) – This organization supports the development of safe, stable, nurturing relationships for children in their families and prevent child abuse and neglect. They provide an array of information and technical assistance to community-based programs to help children and families. PCANC is a chapter of the Prevent Child Abuse America.
Darkness To Light’s Stewards of Children Training – One in 10 children will be sexually abused by the age of 18 years. Ninety percent (90%) of these children will know their abuser. To stop child sexual abuse, the public needs to increase their knowledge of child sex abuse, recognizing the signs of child sexual abuse and how to appropriately intervene and prevent it. Darkness To Light’s Stewards of Children Training is a curriculum proven to effectively educate citizens on child sexual abuse. To find out more about the initiative, click “Read More” to visit the Darkness To Light website, and click “Locate” to locate a facilitator of the training in North Carolina.