19 May Child Abuse Prevention Month 2022 Recap

Though Child Abuse Prevention Month is over, our work to prevent and end child abuse goes beyond well beyond April. The Kosair Charities’ Face It Movement, along with over 125 partner organizations across the state, spent the month raising awareness around this very important issue and reminding us that we all have a role to play in child abuse prevention. 

Leading up to and throughout the month of April, Face It hosted a series of virtual and in-person events and trainings with over 200 professionals, advocates, parents, and community members in attendance. Topics included how to report child maltreatment and how relationship building with caregivers is an effective tool for crisis prevention, self-care and mindfulness for parents, ways we as a community can support survivors of abuse, and more. 

Face It partnered with organizations across the state throughout the month to host eight positive parenting events. During these events, parents had the opportunity to connect with one another, learn about child developmental stages and interactive ways to connect with their children, how to set appropriate expectations for themselves and their families, and more. Face It partners who hosted or co-hosted a positive parenting event included The Center, The Sunshine Center, Neighborhood House, Family & Children’s Place, 502 Fathers, Smoketown Family Wellness Center, Family Nurturing Center, Backside Learning Center, and Family Enrichment Center. 

Face It also engaged oral health professionals through the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition by offering a free Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma training and continued to promote the online toolkit for health professionals, featuring resources on preventing, recognizing, and reporing child abuse and neglect, with support from Delta Dental of Kentucky. 

Face It and our partners were active on social media throughout April sharing child abuse recognition and prevention resources and supportive messages for families. Several of our partners were also featured in news stories across the state to bring awareness to child abuse and neglect prevention.

• In an episode of In Focus: Kentucky on Spectrum News, Mario Anderson spoke with Shannon Moody of Kentucky Youth Advocates about the Face It Movement’s Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts; with Tonya Jernigan of UK’s Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine about the signs of child maltreatment and how to report; and, with Senator Julie Raque Adams about the impacts of Senate Bill 8 on the child welfare system.

• KET’s Connections featured partners in the Face It Movement discussing child abuse prevention efforts and new state policies to keep kids safe. Watch the episode featuring Sonja Grey of ECHO and Shannon Moody of Kentucky Youth Advocates and the episode with Jill Seyfred of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky.  
• Jane Herms of Family Nurturing Center, Ken Reiss of Kosair Charities, and Dr. Nancy Weaver of Supportive Over Silence KIDS shared tips on being a supportive bystander in an op-ed featured by the Courier Journal, Herald Leader, and NKY Tribune.
• Public News Service featured a story on the Face It policy priority, Senate Bill 8, with remarks from bill sponsor Senator Julie Raque Adams as well as Caroline Ruschell with Children’s Advocacy Centers of Kentucky and Ken Reiss of Kosair Charities. 

As we look towards summer, the work to keep all kids across the Commonwealth safe from abuse is not over. Face It and our many partners will continue to advocate for policies to improve the child welfare system, best practices in child abuse prevention and intervention, and building awareness and engaging the community. We need YOUR help to bring real and impactful change. Here’s what you can do:

• Volunteer with our partner organizations to support their efforts to prevent and end child abuse.
• Reach out to parents or caregivers in your life to offer a helping hand or words of encouragement.
• Check out Face It resources and place an order to distribute materials in your community.
• Share resources with family members, friends, and neighbors and encourage them to sign up for regular supportive text messages from Face It by texting FacingIt to 833-FaceIt1.
• Donate to the Kosair Charities’ Child Abuse Prevention Fund to support these efforts.
• Follow Face It on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.