Simple Ways to Prevent Maltreatment

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, and, here in the state of Ohio, the Ohio Children's Trust Fund has unveiled a new child abuse prevention campaign called #inthenext30minutes. The premise of this campaign revolves around the statistic that one child in Ohio is abused or neglected every 30 minutes. OCTF asks people what they can do #inthenext30minutes to prevent a child from being abused. Sometimes that seems a daunting task; however, OCTF has rolled out several publications outlining simple and effective child abuse prevention strategies. For example, "Make a meal for a family in Need" and "Offer kind and encouraging words to parents with young children" are two strategies listed on the next30.org social media toolkit. For more ideas on how you can prevent child maltreatment, go to next30.org. As for me, #inthenext30minutes I will help prevent child abuse and neglect by offering mothers a safe place to tell their stories and learn their own coping skills.   ~ Erica Daniels, LPCC-S