Preventing Child Abuse

In 1984, an average of 1,000 cases of child abuse and neglect were reported in Ohio each week. Social workers and other professionals estimate that up to five times that number went unreported. Working closely with other agencies serving families, Extension home economists are contributing significantly to child abuse/neglect prevention in Ohio.

In 1985-86, seven counties received $49,852 for programming to implement abuse/neglect prevention; in 1986-87, nine counties received $74,120; and in 1987-88, 15 counties received $89,000 for the programming. Programming is carried out in a variety of ways, including the following:

• Providing home-based parent education for pregnant teens and at-risk families.
• Establishing support groups for high-risk parents.
• Developing teen father support groups.
• Starting teen parent panel promoting pregnancy prevention in high schools.
• Starting parenting skills training for fathers.
• Establishing library of resource material on abuse, neglect, and parenting skills.
• Training volunteers to help with or conduct group parent education sessions.
• Training volunteers to serve as mentors for parents.
• Conducting workshops for the general public on parenting.
• Increasing awareness of child abuse in the community.
• Forming after-school 4-H Latchkey Clubs.
• Providing single-parent newsletter for parents "at-risk."

Financing for child abuse prevention comes from the Children's Trust Fund established by the Ohio legislature. The legislation levies fees on copies of each birth and death certificate issued and on each divorce or dissolution filed. The funds collected from this surcharge are disbursed in grants to counties for use by public and private agencies, schools, and organizations for conducting programs intended to prevent child abuse and neglect. Extension is cooperating in this important effort to prevent child abuse.