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ELKINS -- A West Virginia nonprofit organization is urging the public to get involved in raising awareness about child abuse.
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and as the month grows nearer, MountainHeart Community Services, Inc. encourages "all individuals and organizations to play a role in making every community a better place for children and families," organization officials said.
"Everyone's participation is critical," said Peggy Rittenhouse, MountainHeart's Community Resource and Outreach Specialist. "Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best things our community can do to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect."
April is a time to celebrate the important role the communities play in protecting children and strengthening families, officials said.
MountainHeart Community Services, Inc. is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) community action agency that was incorporated in 1965 in accordance with the economic opportunity act of 1964
"By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources that they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities," a MountainHeart press release states.
"Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, communities, or the large society that reduce risk and promote healthy development and wellbeing."
MountHeart is promoting the following protective factors as among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect: Nurturing and attachment; knowledge of parenting skills and child/youth development; social connections; concrete support for parents; and social and emotional competence of children.
In support of these efforts, the Children's Bureau, within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with its information service, the Child Welfare Information Gateway, the Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, and over 30 national prevention partners, has created the 2021/2022 Prevention Resource Guide: Strong and Thriving Families, Prevention with a Purpose.
The resource guide, designed for service providers who work throughout the community to support families, is available online at: tinyurl.com/ywbradvc
For additional information, please contact the Elkins MountainHeart office at 304-637-2840. MountainHeart Child Care Resource and Referral is a program of MountainHeart Community.