This week's Coldwater Area Chamber of Commerce "Member Spotlight of the Week" recognition is going out to the Branch County Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPA). Read more below on why CAPA of Branch County feels that they deserve this week's Spotlight!
The mission of Branch County Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Council (CAPA) is “to proactively educate the community of Branch County regarding Child Abuse and Neglect by providing resources through awareness and prevention.” Our vision is that “Branch County children will gain resiliency through nurturing homes and communities while living in a safe, healthy environment free of abuse, neglect, violence or endangerment of any kind.” We believe that it takes a village to raise a child and a community to protect them.
When you think about child abuse and neglect, your tendency is to think about it in its worst form. The term “child abuse prevention” is not well understood and is mainly thought of in terms of solely reporting incidents of child abuse and neglect. CAPA would like to provide multiple opportunities to educate the public regarding effective prevention strategies and how you can be a support.
The definition of Prevention is the action of stopping something from happening or arising. We want to stop the action of children being abused or neglected. Our intentions are for you to think about how you can be a part of the prevention effort, how you can prevent just one case of child abuse or neglect. Our hope is that you will make this a part of your daily discussions. Talk to your colleague’s, peers, family and friends about how you can be a part of the prevention effort. What can you contribute to reduce just one case of child abuse or neglect? How can you have an impact on the prevention of child abuse and neglect?
Further education about the common risk factors among family’s that experience abuse and neglect is one step in the right direction. A willingness to be educated about how a parent’s adverse childhood experiences impacts their adulthood will provide you more tools to recognize why some parent’s make the choices they do that have a profound impact on their children. For CAPA our priority is the children’s safety, well-being and permanency. WE want to strengthen communication and coordination with the community and local agencies by researching and exploring positive parenting techniques to promote child abuse and neglect prevention.
Everyone has an enhanced capacity to be a part of the solution, whether it’s through your expertise, direct contact with children or just your compassion to be involved. By protecting a child, you are protecting a family and giving “hope” to the children of our community so that they can have faith and security in their future.
