Dayton Area Law Enforcement, Health Care and Business Leaders Call for New Federal Investment to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
Mar 28th 2006
Dayton, March 28- Reports show that in Montgomery County alone over 3,500 children were victims of child abuse or neglect. The CARE House partnered with Montgomery County Prosecutor Mathias Heck, Montgomery County Sheriff David Vore and the Children's Medical Center of Dayton to hold a news conference today to examine the impacts of child abuse and neglect and highlighted in-home parent coaching, which reduces child abuse and neglect and crime by as much as half.
A new report from Ohio's police chiefs, sheriffs and prosecuting attorneys estimates that child abuse and neglect will create more than 140 new criminals in Montgomery County and nearly 1,900 throughout Ohio when abused and neglected kids grow up.
Despite the effectiveness of parent coaching programs, three-quarters of at-risk families do not get the crucial service because of lack of funding. The civic leaders encouraged Ohio's Congressional delegation to pass the bipartisan Education Begins at Home Act this year to increase funding for the state's in-home parent coaching programs. Montgomery County Prosecuting Attorney Mathias H. Heck Jr., Montgomery County Sheriff David Vore, CARE House Director Libby Nicholson, Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Phillip L. Parker, Jennifer Jones, a nurse with Brighter Futures and Cyndy Rees, state director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio, spoke at the news conference.
"The number of Ohio children who are victims of abuse and neglect is staggering. And, further, many of those young victims will later become part of the adult prison population," said Heck. "Helping at-risk parents manage the stress and responsibilities of new parenthood has been proven to reduce child abuse and neglect, cut crime, and save taxpayer dollars."
The report, Protect Kids, Reduce Crime, Save Money: Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect in Ohio, explains the connection between child abuse and neglect and crime. In 2003, more than 47,000 children across Ohio and nearly 3,500 in Montgomery County were victims of abuse and neglect. Sixty-eight Ohio kids died in 2003 as a result of child abuse and neglect. Heck said the reported cases of abuse and neglect is far below the real number, which approaches 150,000 per year.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio analyzed research that found child abuse and neglect increases by 29 percent the likelihood an at-risk child will commit a violent crime when he or she grows up. According to Heck, nearly 1,900 Ohio children statewide and 140 in Montgomery County will grow up to commit violent crimes principally because of the abuse and neglect they endured.
"We know that quality in-home parent coaching cuts crime and saves money," Vore said, "Ohio's law enforcement leaders urge the state's Congressional delegation to speedily increase investment in helping parents become better parents. By doing so, we ensure that Ohio's most vulnerable children won't become Ohio's most wanted adults."
In-home parent coaching programs offer first-time, low-income parents-typically unmarried young women-weekly visits from nurses or other trained coaches beginning during the mother's pregnancy and continuing through the child's earliest years. These programs coach parents on the skills needed to raise their children in a safe, caring home.
"Working every day with innocent children who were victimized by abuse and neglect, the dedicated professionals at Dayton's CARE House know that we can prevent child abuse and neglect by ensuring that first-time, disadvantaged parents learn the basics of child-rearing," Nicholson said, "Fewer patients as children will mean more productive adults."
Brighter Futures is the successful Nurse Family Partnership in-home parent coaching program currently serving parts of Montgomery County. Numerous studies have found that the Nurse Family Partnership cuts rates of abuse and neglect by as much as half and dramatically reduces crime. At age 15, kids from at-risk families that received visits from nurses or trained coaches had 59 percent fewer arrests than kids from similar families that did not participate in the program.
Jennifer Jones said, "For those parents and their children, nurses give practical ‘how-to' advice that keeps kids safe at home to grow up healthy."
Parker said that in-home parent coaching also saves money. A study by the RAND Corporation found that the Nurse Family Partnership averaged more than $18,000 in net savings for each family enrolled in the program and generated four dollars in savings for every dollar invested.
"We can't put a price on innocent lives that are lost to the consequences of abuse and neglect," Parker said. "But we can calculate the savings that come from reduced crime and higher productivity. In-home parent
coaching helps cut abuse and neglect and gives more kids the direction that they need."
Yet, many high-risk Ohio families are still not being served. Brighter Futures, for example, only has the funding to serve a quarter of at-risk teen moms. To reach all at-risk families, Montgomery County and Ohio need more federal support for in-home parent coaching programs.
Last year, Sen. Mike DeWine (R) co-sponsored the bipartisan Education Begins at Home Act that would give states more federal support for in-home parent coaching programs that help cut crime. The panelists called on Sen. DeWine to push the legislation forward in the Senate and Rep. John A. Boehner (R-8th District), the House Majority Leader, and the rest of Ohio's Congressional delegation to join the Senator in support of the bill.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Ohio is a statewide anti-crime organization of more than 175 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders, and violence survivors. It is part of a national organization of more than 2,500 law enforcement and crime victim members.
