Memorandum
Date: April 16, 2024
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Board of Supervisors
Subject: Presentation of Proclamation Designating April 2024 as Child Abuse Prevention Month
Executive Summary:
WHEREAS, in the past year, Lake County Child Welfare Services received approximately 1,500 reports of abuse or neglect and currently, 72 children/youth from Lake County are placed outside their parent's home as a result of abuse or neglect; and
WHEREAS, over 4.2 million referrals are made to child protective services each year in the United States for child abuse and neglect and it is estimated that over 7.5 million children are involved; and
WHEREAS, child abuse prevention is a community problem and all citizens should become more aware of the effects of child abuse and its prevention; and
WHEREAS, communities must make every effort to promote programs and activities that create strong and thriving children and families; and
WHEREAS, effective child abuse prevention programs succeed because of partnerships created among social service agencies, schools, religious and civic organizations, law enforcement agencies and the business community, to support parents in raising their children in safe and nurturing environments; and
WHEREAS, current local initiatives to prevent child abuse include the Lake County Children's Council-Building Resilient Lake County a countywide collaboration, Nurturing Families Program, Family PRO-Differential Response, Prop 64 Family WRAP, RCS Wrap Around Services, Motherwise, Positive Indian Parenting, Abriendo Puertas, Motivational Interviewing, and the Strengthening Families Protective Factors Framework; and
WHEREAS, events scheduled for the month of April include the month long pinwheel garden challenge, the Children's Festivals on April 13th at Lakeport Library Park and April 27th at Austin Park in Clearlake, the Children's Memorial Flag Raising event, the LISA Project Exhibit, motivational interviewing training...
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