For the 10th consecutive year, Texas Children’s employees took a moment out of their day on April 1 to remember the more than 1,500 children evaluated last year by Texas Children’s Hospital’s Child Abuse Pediatrics Team for possible child abuse.
After listening to presentations on the causes of child abuse and the stress of taking care of those who have been abused, employees walked to the Texas Children’s Hospital Playground and tied blue and black ribbons to the iron fence that surrounds the slides and swings.
Each ribbon represents a child evaluated at Texas Children’s Hospital for suspected child abuse or neglect over the past year. The black ribbons represent children who died as a result of suspected abuse or neglect during that same period.
The ribbons will remain on the fence for the month of April, which is Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention Month.
“We are here today to give these children the dignity they deserve,” said Texas Children’s Chaplain James Denham. “We also are here to recognize the caregivers who have placed gentle hands on them in their time of need.”
At Texas Children’s, the Child Abuse Pediatrics or CAP team is responsible for assessing and ensuring the safety of children where child maltreatment is suspected. The CAP team comprises physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, forensic nurses and social workers, and evaluates hundreds of cases a week at Texas Children’s Hospital and the sexual abuse clinic at the Children’s Assessment Center. In 2015, Texas Children’s Hospital’s Child Abuse Pediatrics Team evaluated more than 1,500 children for possible maltreatment.
Every year about 65,000 children in Texas are victims of child maltreatment with more than 200 deaths directly attributed to this abuse and/or neglect across the state. The Texas Children’s Emergency Center team sees almost 2,500 of these child abuse cases each year.
“I urge everyone to make a difference in a child’s life by standing up for the safety and well-being of all children,” Denham said on Friday. “We all can make a difference even if it’s just opening our eyes to the injustice of child abuse.”
To learn more about child abuse and its widespread affects, Texas Children’s Section of Public Health Pediatrics will introduce upstream risk factors that influence a child’s health and the healthcare professional’s role to mitigate these risks through screening, early recognition, and connecting families to resources. By doing this, we will serve as advocates for healthy children and families. We encourage our colleagues to join us not only in our April events, but year-round to keep children resilient and safe.
Friday, April 8, noon to 1 p.m.
Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Lecture Series
Judith McFarlane, DrPH, RN The Role of the Healthcare Professional in Household Violence Texas Children’s Hospital auditorium
Wednesday, April 13, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Bridge Event
Celebrating Community Partners that support healthy families
The Auxiliary Bridge (between CCC and WT)
Friday, April 15
All day Go Blue Day
Wear Child Abuse Prevention T-Shirt and Jeans
Friday, April 15, noon to 1 p.m.
Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Lecture Series
Dr. Claire Bocchini
The Role of the Healthcare Professional in Advocacy
Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Howland Auditorium
Monday, April 18, noon to 1 p.m.
Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Lecture Series
Jeff Temple, PhD
Dating it Safe: Understanding & Preventing Teen Dating Violence
Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Howland Auditorium
Friday, April 29, noon to 1 p.m.
Child Abuse Awareness & Prevention Month Lecture Series
Shreela Sharma, PhD
The Role of the Healthcare Professional in Food Insecurity
Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Howland Auditorium