Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 4, 1995 TAG: 9504040084
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ROBERT FREIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A broad-based coalition of community groups should take the responsibility of heading off child abuse before it occurs, Naomi Griffith said.
"Social workers are not going to take care of child abuse in this country. We've got to ask for help."
Griffith, a former teacher and social worker who heads an Alabama child abuse prevention coalition, spoke Monday at a workshop marking the start of national Child Abuse Prevention Month.
In attendance at The Farmhouse Restaurant were about 125 representatives of New River Valley social service agencies: educators, ministers, health care and social workers and legal professionals. Griffith challenged all to "step up" as advocates for families and children.
"It's not about spending huge amounts of money. I'm talking about building on what we have," she said. "There is a part for everybody to play."
The latest available statistics show that reported cases of child abuse are increasing locally, as they are across the nation. "Families are under more stress now," because of economic woes, substance abuse and mental illness, said Joan Rowe, Montgomery County's social work supervisor.
With public funding for social services dwindling, the professionals traditionally assigned the task of investigating child abuse reports are being overwhelmed, Griffith said. "The system cannot respond."
As a solution, she proposed "meaningful little ways to make prevention a reality in every community."
Teachers should become more aware of the domestic lives of their students. "How can you teach them if you don't know what's going on in their house?" she asked.
Schools should offer instruction in abuse prevention and parenting skills as part of their curriculum. "Teach the parents of tomorrow how to discipline."
Social service workers should place more emphasis on home visitation of clients and de-emphasize spending time in offices. "What we have to do is personal."
Community groups - churches and religious organizations in particular - should become more actively involved in abuse prevention. "People are desperate for a support system to lift them up and help them raise their children."
Workplaces should be sensitive to the impacts their policies have on family life. "Family leave should at least be as important as jury duty, National Guard service or going to vote."
The legal system should recognize and emphasize the rights of children, particularly in adversarial matters such as child custody cases.
In Virginia, investigation of child abuse or neglect reports is complicated because the commonwealth has a higher standard of proof than 48 other states, said Barbara Rawn, director of the Prevent Child Abuse of Virginia.
"Virginia has the highest rate (75 percent) of unfounded cases in the country. It's really a problem," Rawn said of the difficulty of proving abuse cases here.
Locally, the latest available statistics show 929 complaints of child abuse or neglect were lodged in Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles and Floyd counties and Radford during 1992-93. Of those, 691 were classified as unfounded, which mirrors the state average.
LaNette Dellinger, head of the Child Abuse Prevention Coalition, an advocacy group that formed last year, said increasing public awareness of child abuse is a key to prevention.
"I think there's a lot of hope, even if there isn't a lot of money," she said.
April will be marked by a number of local consciousness-raising activities, including school programs, public service announcements, community events and citizens wearing blue ribbons on their lapels, she said.
"A child should be safe in its own home. That's not too much to ask for," Griffith said.
by CNB