Supporting families during Child Abuse Prevention Month

Cassie Klapp

County of San Diego Communications Office

In honor of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, San Diego County Child Welfare Services (CWS) is joining partners this April to raise awareness through activities that support child abuse prevention.

Among the partners in the collaboration are the YMCA of San Diego County, Rady Children’s Hospital, Palomar Health, the San Diego County Office of Education, Promises2Kids and the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office who are partnering to support families and build upon the strengths of parents to care for their children safely.

From July 2021 to June 2022, CWS received more than 39,000 reports of alleged abuse and neglect, representing 67,824 children.

“The regional commitment to ensuring children throughout San Diego County grow up safe and nurtured is strong, as evidenced by the collaboration of these organizations,” said Dr. Kimberly Giardina, CWS director. “Every person in the region can play a role by joining us in connecting families to strengthening services that can keep them together.”

Get involved this April:

Palomar Health and Rady Children’s Hospital will display “Pinwheels for Prevention” at their locations.

Virtual Town Hall – Tuesday, April 25 – Town Hall will cover child abuse prevention for child-serving healthcare providers in San Diego County.

Press Conference at County Administration Center with Chairwoman Nora Vargas, Promises2Kids and CWS – Wednesday, April 26, 1 p.m.

County Administration Center lighting in blue – Wednesday, April 26

San Diego County Office of Education officials will provide toolkits for parents on how to prevent child maltreatment.

Virtual Run/Walk Challenge throughout the month organized by Rady Children’s Hospital – to sign up, go to https://runsignup.com/Race/Info/CA/SanDiego/ChildAbusePreventionMonth.

Throughout the month of April and beyond, the county and its partners will work with a broad range of groups and individuals to assure that all San Diegans recognize how they can play a role in making San Diego a model for child and family strengthening.

Ensuring parents have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to care for their children is a proven strategy for supporting the social and emotional well-being of children and youth and preventing child maltreatment within families and communities.