April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, Month of the Military Child

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Alexa Culbert
  • Air University Public Affairs

April is Child Abuse and Prevention Month. The Maxwell Family Advocacy Program is hosting events to bring awareness to child abuse and the resources available on base.

“It’s important because child abuse has not gone away,” said Dr. April Jones, base Family Advocacy Program Outreach Manager. “We would think that most people know the warning signs of abuse and what constitutes abuse, but some people to this day don’t. We want to be proactive rather than reactive to child abuse."

Jones and the FAP team invited Jannah Bailey, the Executive Director of Child Protect, to educate the community during two presentations about child abuse prevention and how to keep children safe.

Bailey is an expert in forensic interviews and the counseling of abused children.

The presentations are scheduled for April 10, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Gunter Youth Center and April 12, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., at the Maxwell Hunt Housing office.

April is also the Month of the Military Child.

“We appreciate them for enduring their parents being deployed months at time to serve our country and they should be appreciated,” Jones said. “They relocate quite a lot, and at times that can cause challenges, but they embrace it and it becomes a normal lifestyle and that’s to be admired.”

As a way to include the children this month, the message was implemented in their art class.

They painted rocks in different patterns using the colors purple and blue. The colors represent the Month of the Military Child and Child Abuse and Prevention Month.

The rocks will be placed in the planters outside of the base clinic for patients and community members to take home and place in their gardens.

Jones said it’s more than just a blue or purple rock and the hope is for them to start conversations about what the colors symbolize.

“Children can’t speak for themselves, but as adults we can protect them by knowing what to report and how to make a report. It’s important that we listen to prevention education and learn what you can do in your community to prevent child abuse.”

It is mandatory for DoD employees to report child abuse, If you suspect abuse is occurring, call the base Family Advocacy Team at 334-953-5055, if after duty hours call the command post at 334-953-7474.

 

Other parenting classes offered this month:

April 9 – 13, 2018 – Becoming a Loving and Logic Parent, is a class to help parents raise confidence in the parenting and teach them how to foster responsibility in their children. It’s located at the Maxwell Digital Resource Center, building 910 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

April 17, 2018 – Dads 101, a class for expecting fathers to learn about the appropriate care for their new infant. It’s located in the Maxwell Clinic in the educating and training classroom on the third floor from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.