April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

  • Published
  • By Mike McKito
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  In 1983, April was chosen as the month to recognize National Child Abuse Prevention. This is a time set aside each year to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and to encourage individuals and communities to support children and families. 

According to "Love Our Children USA," every year more than 3 million children are victims of violence and almost 1.8 million are abducted. Nearly 600,000 children live in foster care. Every day 1 out of 7 kids and teens are approached by online predators, 1 out of 4 kids are bullied and 42 percent of kids are cyber bullied. 

Because of these startling statistics, Sheppard offers help to those who may experience abuse or a tendency to abuse. This is where the Sheppard Family Advocacy Program office comes into play. 

"The purpose of Family Advocacy is to build a healthy Air Force community by assisting and supporting families in being all they can be," said Sheri Ward, family advocacy outreach manager. "In doing this, we help prevent domestic violence and child abuse and promote mission readiness."

Warning signs of child abuse or neglect can come from several different sources, she said. 

"If your child shows sudden changes in behavior or school performance, if the parent shows little concern for the child, or if the parent denies the existence of or blames the child for the child's problems in school," those can all be signs Ms. Ward said. 

For the child, other signs of abuse or neglect include learning problems, difficulty concentrating, becoming withdrawn or passive at school or staying late at after school activities. 

Signs of abuse by parents include asking teachers to use harsh physical discipline if the child misbehaves, seeing the child as entirely bad, worthless or burdensome or demanding a level of physical or academic performance the child cannot achieve, Ms. Ward said. 

If any of these conditions are noticed, there are several ways the FAP office can become involved. 

"The best option is self referral," she said. "Information is provided to assist the individual and families." 

If a person does not self-refer himself or herself, another less desirable way is to be referred by their supervisor, first sergeant or provider. 

"The least desirable option is having an incident make the security forces blotter," Ms. Ward said. 

If a person finds himself in an abusive situation and self-refers or is referred to FAP, help is on the way. "We address abusive parenting strategies and encourage implementation of positive guidance with a goal of elimination of abusive behaviors," she said. 

This is done by one of two means. The first is by the FAP offering family counseling to address children's challenging behaviors. 

"This is normally related to the child's stage of development," Ms. Ward said. "It's normal for children to experience adjustment issues as they develop." 

The FAP offers family counseling services and parenting education to identify effective and ineffective parenting strategies for the challenging behaviors. 

The second is for the FAP to address family adjustment issues when the family has a new child. 

"We address the family dynamics involved with the challenges for new parents and the addition of the child to the family system," Ms. Ward said. "We also address developmental issues as the child grows and develops and encourage effective parenting strategies." 

To draw attention to the plights of abuse, FAP in conjunction with Sexual Assault Response Coordinator office, has several events scheduled for the month of April: April 20, 11 a.m.00 to noon, "Sex Signals", Community Center; April 28, 8 a.m. to noon, Speak Up - Speak Out, MSU Clark Student Center; and April 29, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Awareness Luncheon , Sheppard Club. 

For more information or to talk to a FAP counselor, please call 676-2271/4104.