During this global coronavirus pandemic that has shut down businesses and schools and ushered in social distancing, experts worry more children are suffering from abuse. Researchers say this happens in times of stress. Child abuse rose in the Great Recession. “I believe we’re going to see the number of child abuse cases increase rapidly but child abuse reports are going to decrease exponentially,” Megan Hedges, family advocate for the Child Advocacy Center of Fredrick County, told the Frederick News-Post. “This is going to be detrimental to many of the children in our community because we know the abuse is not stopping, in fact the abuse may be getting worse.”
1. Why Could Child Abuse Rise?
Financial distress, unemployment, domestic violence, and social isolation are big ...
Many U.S. homes are not the safe havens we may think. In fact, with families locked down to slow COVID-19, police say domestic violence cases have risen up to 35% in recent days, NBC reports. Local and state leaders need to address the immediate needs of these victims. They also need to think about long-term solutions to reduce disparities in income and wealth accumulation, which COVID-19 is exacerbating, particularly among Latinas. “Women — and it is predominantly women who are victimized — are confined to isolated homes with abusive partners whose coercive and physically violent tendencies are enabled and further inflamed by economic stressors [due to coronavirus],” according to Natasha Lennard with The Intercept. If you or someone you know needs help, call the ...
Over the past few years, dozens of U.S. schools launched the Handle With Care program to better support students facing childhood trauma like poverty and domestic violence. For the program, police alert school leaders when they encounter a child at a traumatic scene, so schools are prepared to keep an eye on the student and provide support or services. But now schools are closed due to coronavirus. So how are these schools adapting the Handle With Care program and maintaining meaningful connections with students in the face of school closures? We asked three people who got the Handle With Care program started in San Antonio.
How Did Handle With Care Begin in San Antonio?
Read or watch how Diana Centeno of San Antonio ISD (SAISD), John Hernandez of East Central ISD (ECISD), ...
Our bodies are wired for survival—thanks to our biological stress response system. However, without buffering protections, adversity in childhood can lead to a toxic stress response—changes in brain structure and function, how genes are read, functioning of the immune and inflammatory systems, and growth and development. This toxic stress response is associated with increased risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, suicide, and numerous other negative health and social outcomes. By screening children and families, providers can assess their risk of toxic stress and provide appropriate education, treatment, and services. After all, screening is one of the most basic tools of modern public health and preventive ...
Communities are increasingly concerned about the rise of poverty, homelessness, trauma, and opioids among children and families. However, few states address these issues by investing money in Head Start programs, which are proven to strengthen families, promote school readiness, and improve child health. The good news is that lawmakers in 14 states are investing over $400 million each budget cycle for local Head Start and Early Head Start programs, according to a new analysis by the National Head Start Association and Voices for Healthy Kids. These investments will help serve more kids─but millions are still left out.
Crisis of At-Risk Children and Families
Many children and families face difficult situations: persistent childhood poverty
the unrelenting opioid ...
Early childhood adversity like abuse and divorce is a root cause of many of the greatest public health challenges we face today. But doctors don’t even screen children for exposure to adversity. That’s changing in California, thanks to Dr. Nadine Burke Harris and other child advocates. As of Jan. 1, 2020, almost 100,000 physicians in 8,800 clinics will be reimbursed for routinely screening Medi-Cal patients for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), in an effort California hopes will help prevent ongoing ACEs-related stress and disease. Here are nine big questions surrounding the change.
1. What Is Childhood Adversity (ACEs) and its Impact?
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include abuse, neglect, divorce, parental incarceration, parental mental illness, etc. These ...
Last week, Salud Talks discussed the failing state of discipline in schools throughout the country. Today, Lizzy Perez, director of school leadership at AIM Consulting, joins us again to explain how some schools are implementing trauma-informed care practices — and how it's changing the lives of kids. Check out this discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode 17, "Trauma-Aware Schools, Part 2: Policy of Tolerance"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on how schools can better educate their students, especially in right and wrong GUEST: Director of School Leadership at AIM Consulting Lizzy Perez
WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tune In, and others
WHEN: The episode went live at 5 p.m., Jan. ...
Schools throughout the U.S. are failing their students due to harsh, black-and-white discipline practices. That's why this week's guest, Director of School Leadership at AIM Consulting Lizzy Perez, joins us to discuss a new form of educating children about right and wrong: trauma-informed care. Check out this discussion on the #SaludTalks Podcast, Episode 16, "Trauma-Aware Schools, Part 1: Lack Thereof"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion on how schools can better educate their students, especially in right and wrong GUEST: Director of School Leadership at AIM Consulting Lizzy Perez
WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Tune In, and others
WHEN: The episode went live at 1 p.m., Jan. 15, ...
Police Chief Darren Gault believes kids deserve more support in avoiding risky behaviors. Gault knows when police officers interact positively with kids inside schools and out, they help kids stay in school and stay away from crime in Moline, Ill. (16.8% Latino). But officers already have so many unfunded mandates on their time. That is why Gault was so excited when he learned about the low-burden, no-cost “Handle With Care” program, which provides positive interactions for kids who experience traumatic events. Gault shared the program with Rachel Savage, superintendent of Moline-Coal Valley School District. Together, Gault and Savage—with help from a Salud America! Action Pack—are launching the Handle With Care.
People in Moline Face Stress, Violence
Gault and ...
