(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Tuscarawas County a better place for children and families.

By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, JFS helps to prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.

The most common type of maltreatment is neglect. In the Federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018, about 4.3 million reports were made to child protective services concerning the safety and well-being of approximately 7.8 million children. Last year, an estimated 678,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect nationwide.

Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families.  Protective factors are conditions or attributes of individuals, families, communities, or the larger society that mitigate risk and promote healthy development and wellbeing.

Promoting the following protective factors is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect:

• Nurturing and attachment
• Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development
• Parental resilience
• Social connections
• Concrete supports for parents
• Social and emotional competence of children

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, call TCJFS at
330-339-7791.  Select Option 4 from our phone system menu.

After business hours and on weekends, contact the Tuscarawas
County Sheriff at 330-339-2000.