Letter to the Editor: Be part of a community working to prevent child abuse

To the Editor:

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. It is a time to raise awareness of a serious issue affecting the children and families in our communities and a chance to realize we all can play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect.

The Iowa Child Advocacy Board (ICAB), which operates both the Court Appointed Special Advocacy (CASA) program and the Iowa Citizen Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) program, exists to advocate for the protection of Iowa’s children and improvement of the child welfare system.

It takes commitment from all of us to care about one another and one another’s children. Fully engaging all elements of our society is essential in addressing the needs of vulnerable children and their families. Churches, civic clubs, social organizations, and neighborhood groups can strengthen protective factors that have been found to help mitigate risk and lessen the likelihood of abuse. They can help by sponsoring educational sessions on child development, parent and child mentoring, substance abuse treatment programs, and events to build connections and awareness of services.

We at ICAB are grateful for the hundreds of volunteers across Iowa who have chosen to serve the best interests of children in need. We encourage everyone in our community to become involved in some way to help put an end to child abuse and neglect. We can all make a difference.

Kerry Brennan
CASA Program Coordinator