April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
This month and throughout the year, we all need to take part in protecting children and making Harris County a safer and better place for children to grow and thrive.
Last year, more than 56,000 children in Texas were victims of abuse or neglect. We often see a rise in incidents of child abuse and neglect during stressful times. The loss of employment, isolation, lack of housing, money and resources are just some of the risk factors that can reduce a parent’s ability to cope effectively with the day-to-day stressors of raising a child. The good news is that child abuse is preventable. The best way to prevent child abuse is to support families and provide parents with the skills and resources they need. Families are better able to deal with life stressors when they have the support and the resources they need.
For more than half a century, Harris County Resources for Children and Adults has been providing services to strengthen families and to help vulnerable children and adults in our community. We provide services to abused and neglected children with services such as:
- Medical, dental, and behavioral health care in one location
- Transitional services to current and former foster youth to empower them for successful adult living
- Emergency shelter for abused and at-risk youth
- Basic necessities, clothes, school supplies and holiday gifts
We provide community and school-based prevention and early intervention services to divert youth from involvement with child protective services and the juvenile justice systems. Some of our services include:
- 24/7 crisis intervention and hotlines
- Mental health services
- School-based counseling
- Services for truancy, homelessness, parent-child conflict
- Services for youth involved with the Justice of the Peace Courts
- Summer and after school programs
In addition, we provide services to vulnerable adults and senior victims of crime. These services include:
- Guardianship services for indigent and incapacitated adults in Harris County.
- Services for senior victims of abuse, neglect or exploitation, age 65 or older.
All our services are voluntary and at no cost to families.
For more information visit resources.harriscountytx.gov or call our 24-hour number 713-295-2600.
