BY B.G. GREGG
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Those leading the national battle against child abuse are looking for more foot soldiers, and they're recruiting in a neighborhood near you.
The message of the 12th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, expected to draw 2,000 people to the Albert B. Sabin Convention Center this week, is that communities must come together to battle child abuse. Plans on how to do that were unveiled Tuesday.
"This is not just a matter of stationing people in the community. It is really a partnership where the agencies in the community and the residents of the community are sharing in the responsibility," said Joanne Edgar of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, which pays for projects to battle abuse.
For example:
- In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, traditional neighborhood centers are designing programs to combat abuse, and "neighborhood partners" are trained to help residents deal with problems and seek support.
- In Jacksonville, Fla., residents pledge to be responsible for certain children and assure their safety in the home.
- In Louisville, Neighborhood Place Ujima brings family members, friends and professionals together for conferences on certain children and to devise plans to assure their safety.
- In St. Louis, dances and movie nights are held so parents and social workers can get to know each other and talk about keeping children safe.
Kathy Cueto, development director for the Council on Child Abuse of Southern Ohio, host of the conference, said the point of the new projects is simple. "We're saying, 'This is your business. Families are everybody's business,' " she said.
Karen Hawkins, who works on the Louisville project, said parents are more receptive of help from someone in their own community than from a government agency. She said the help could be something such as someone stepping in to baby-sit if a parent were stressed.
Ms. Cueto said she would like to start some of the more innovative programs in Cincinnati, such as a Child Abuse Advocacy Center at Children's Hospital Medical Center, but plans are only in early stages.
The conference runs through Saturday. Noted author, newspaper columnist and pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton is scheduled to speak Friday.
