April designation heightens awareness of child abuse

Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco has declared April as Child Abuse Prevention Month and Court-Appointed Special Advocate Month to remind the public that keeping children safe is everybody’s responsibility.

“Each and every one of us must be involved in protection our children,” Blanco said in a release. “We can make a difference not only by reporting suspected abuse and neglect, but also by nurturing communities that actively support families.”

In 2006, there were 23,388 allegations of abuse reported in Louisiana. Of that, 59 percent of the allegations were proven valid, according to the Department of Social Services’ Office of Community Services. To date, the state’s OCS has more than 5,000 children in foster care.

Protecting children’s interests in courts in the Tri-parishes falls to CASA, Court-Appointed Special Advocates.

Founded in 1977 by a juvenile court judge in Seattle, Wash., CASA’s mission is to ensure that all abused and neglected children in the Louisiana legal system have competent and caring volunteers advocating on their behalf.

Two CASAs n CASA of Terrebonne and CASA of Acadiana n represent children in the Tri-parishes.

Last year, CASA of Acadiana Regional Project Director Brent Romero said his agency served 79 children in St. Mary Parish and 40 in Lafourche.

CASA of Terrebonne’s Executive Director Courtney Arceneaux said the Houma-based group served over 120 youngsters in 2006.

Since the parish branch’s inception in 2000, the numbers have continued to grow, she said.

In fact, Arceneaux said toward the end of 2006, the courts assigned 31 new cases to the Terrebonne branch.

“So far this year alone volunteers have spent more than 600 hours advocating for the children in the parish,” she said. “We become the eyes and the ears for the judge. We learn about the children’s situations and report back to court system.

“We find services and ways for the children to receive help through the state, different community organizations, school systems and counseling and therapy,” the executive director explained.

Last year, out of 113 allegations of neglect, 17 were proven to involve physical abuse, 13 sexual abuse and two abandonment, she said. Fortunately, no adolescent deaths were reported in 2006 in Terrebonne Parish as a result of abuse.

State OCS Assistant Secretary Marketa Garner-Gautreau emphasized that child abuse has no social boundaries and occurs within all income ranges. Children are mistreated most frequently when their caregivers become overwhelmed and don’t know how to cope, she said.

“The effect of abuse is so long-lasting and so devastating that we must do everything we can to prevent it,” Garner-Gautreau said.

Cases in which CASA is asked to intervene, the state has taken custody of the child, Arceneaux said. To get their children back, parents must successfully complete a case plan in which certain criteria is provided by the court. The idea, she said, is to teach adults responsible for the child’s well-being how to parent.

OCS spokeswoman Angela Vanveckhoven said her agency has developed many programs that help support efforts to reunite families. Parents participate in advocacy awareness programs, such as the Circle of Parents, which is a program designed to provide adults with a place to go to talk about their frustrations.

CASA of Terrebonne representative Theresa Johnson-Osborn will address the local Children’s Coalition for the Bayou Region at its April 25 noon meeting at Mulberry Baptist Church in Houma, according to Leilani Brunet, executive director of the coalition.

Another advocate for children, the coalition serves Terrebonne, Lafourche and Assumption parishes.

The group unites agencies and organizations serving children and families in the Bayou Region. Brunet said the coalition helps groups partner on issues, network and better organize services. In addition, it helps other service providers better understand what programs are available in the area, she said.

The coalition has also helped find ways to bring more dollars to benefit family and children programs, and it is a major supporter of the Drug-Free Community program.

For more information on CASA, visit www.nationalcasa.org. To learn more about the Children’s Coalition for the Bayou Region, visit www.bayoukids.org.

For tips on child abuse prevention, visit www.dss.state.la.us and click on “Preventing Child Abuse.”

The Associated Press contributed to portions of this article.