Dawn Castro
LAKELAND — Inadequate income and substance abuse play major roles in Lanier County topping the state in child abuse and neglect cases.
The county currently ranks No. 1 in neglect and No. 2 in physical abuse, the highest per capita rate in Georgia, according to the state Department of Family and Children Services.
To address this ranking, an organization committed to understanding and lowering these numbers hosts a meeting this week.
At 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, the Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) holds a community meeting at the Oak Grove Freewill Baptist Church to discuss ending child abuse.
“From this meeting, we hope to come up with some sort of resolution or positive steps towards resolving the issues facing our community,” Amy Burton, the Lanier County Family Connection coordinator, said.
Joyce Johnson, CPPC area coordinator, said the meeting will be an open forum for the people.
“We want to hear from the residents,” she said. “We looked at the data for the area where the most problems occur and found that Oak Ridge subdivision ranks the highest.”
Johnson noted the top three types of child maltreatment that will be discussed at the meeting are neglect, which includes inadequate supervision, food and medical care; physical abuse; and domestic violence, which usually includes emotional abuse.
The main focus for the meeting will be educating the residents about the problem. The questions posed will be: Why do the residents think Lanier County is No. 1 in abuse, and what should be done to reduce the number?
Johnson said when the data is collected, they look at the number of children under 18 years of age and how many were reportedly abused. They look at the families income, age of the parent(s), location (rural area vs. city), and number of children in the home. She also said it surprises people to know that the average age of the parents reported in these abuse and neglect cases is 35.
“People always assume it’s the younger parents being reported but that is not the case here,” she said. “Just because someone is older, does not mean they have it all together.”
The top three underlying causes in these situations are substance abuse; domestic violence; and mental health issues of the parent or child.
From Jan. 1, 2009 through Dec. 31, 2009, the following Lanier County maltreatment data was collected by the Department of Family and Children Services office:
Neglect: 107 reported; 57 percent
Physical Abuse: 34 reported; 18 percent
Emotional Abuse: 29 reported; 15 percent
Sexual Abuse: 13 reported; 7 percent
No maltreatment but substantial abuse: 6 reported; 3 percent
Racial Composition of Reports:
African-American: 38
Caucasian: 123
Hispanic: 3
CPPC is a strategic plan represented by citizens, including DFACS workers, teachers, parents, faith-based leaders and members of the judicial system, etc.
The plan is to bring everyone together to develop creative ways to prevent or reduce the abuse and neglect in the county.
The CPPC is a nationally recognized plan but has just been organized in Lanier County January 2010. Its mission statement: “Keeping Children Safe is Everybody’s Business.”
Johnson said the plan is not to be confused with an agency or organized program. It only involves community participation. It is based on the understanding that DFACS cannot accomplish the prevention of child abuse alone.
The meeting will include a barbecue meal and door prizes. Childcare will also be provided.
At A Glance: Community Partnership for Protecting Children (CPPC) holds a community meeting to discuss ending child abuse, 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 12, Oak Grove Freewill Baptist Church. More information: Contact Amy Burton, Lanier County Family Connection coordinator, (229) 482-3476.
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