KNOX and LINCOLN COUNTIES — April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Healthy Kids is committed to working with our community to prioritize child and family well-being. We believe that the residents of Lincoln and Knox Counties are essential in understanding the needs of our community and are invaluable in promoting family support. By building local supports and services, we can take a proactive approach to keeping children safe.

This April, we want to emphasize the importance of collaboration and partnership in enhancing support for families within their communities. Our family-strengthening program centers around prevention, ensuring that families have the necessary resources, support, and connections before challenges escalate into crises. As Heidi Aakjer, Executive Director of Maine Children’s Trust, stated, "Every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, and every family deserves the support to build a strong foundation." Prevention Council Executive Director Char Corbett added, “We are dedicated to working together in our community to ensure that caregivers know where to access existing supports that benefit all families as well as partnering to find solutions where there are needs. We invite and welcome families, businesses, organizations to join us in working to improve our community for the children and families who live here.”

In order to prevent child abuse and neglect, everyone needs to know what child abuse is. Physical and sexual abuse clearly constitute maltreatment, but so does neglect or the failure of parents or other caregivers to provide a child(ren) with needed food, clothing, and care. Children can also be emotionally abused when they are rejected, berated or continuously isolated. For more information, visit www.healthykidsmaine.org or www.mechildrenstrust.org.

In 2024, the most current year for statistical information, it was reported by the Maine State Office of Child and Family Services that there were 74 substantiated cases of child abuse/neglect in Lincoln County and 98 respective cases in Knox County. The largest number of children abused were under age 2 in both counties. Neglect, emotional or psychological abuse, and physical abuse were the prominent risk factors ins Lincoln County, while prominent factors in Knox county were neglect, emotional or psychological abuse and caretaker drug use. Secondary risk factors in Lincoln county were alcohol and drug use of caretakers while caretaker alcohol and physical abuse were the secondary risk factors for Knox county. In both counties the primary age of abusers were between 25-39 years old. “Parenting is a difficult job and all adults providing care for our kids need support,” Corbett says.

Everyone can participate in preventing child abuse and neglect. If you’re a parent or guardian, start by taking care of yourself! When the big and little problems of everyday life add up to the point that you’re feeling overwhelmed and out of control – take a time out! Reach out to a trusted friend or contact Healthy Kids for resources: www.healthykidsmaine.org or 207-563-1818. It’s okay to ask for help – everyone needs support at one time or another. Connecting with others for advice and support is a positive way to parent. You and your child(ren) have a right to be safe!

If you’re not a parent, you can help a friend, neighbor or relative. Being a parent isn’t easy. Offer a helping hand so the parent(s) can rest and have time for selfcare. Let them know you care and that help is available from a variety of sources and resources. It’s also important to educate yourself and others, so check out our resources! And of course, report suspected abuse and neglect. If you have a reason to believe a child has been or may be harmed, call the Office of Children and Family Services at 1-800-452- 1999 or your local police department. You do not need to provide proof. If you’re a business owner or community member, you too can be part of the solution. Invest in kids! Encourage leaders in the community to be supportive of children and families. Ask employers to provide family-friendly work environments. Also, support prevention programs! Too often, intervention occurs only after abuse has been reported. Greater investments are needed in evidence-based/informed programs that have been proven to stop the abuse before it occurs. Help Healthy Kids offer these programs by making a donation to Healthy Kids, promoting our classes, events and programs on your social media.

Healthy Kids programs offer support through personalized meetings tailored to a parent’s and/or family’s situation, including classes, playgroups, concrete supports such as cribs or toys at Christmas, and workshops for professionals and high school kids in health classes. We promote community awareness opportunities and encourage community engagement in preventing child abuse and neglect. Our website offers ongoing trainings for parents, caregivers, professionals and community members who want to address child abuse and neglect in our counties.

This month, and all year long, you can help Healthy Kids to support parents and caregivers and building the relationships and connections in communities so that families can readily access what they need to help every child by taking action. For more information on programs or to get some personalized parenting support, call Healthy Kids at 563-1818, visit our website www.healthykidsmaine.org, check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/healthykidsmaine or email hk@tidewater.net.