Smart Talk: Protecting children from abuse and neglect

What to look for on Smart Talk Wednesday, March 4, 2015:

Child abuse and neglect are among the most serious and heartbreaking issues of our time.  However, many people don’t know what to do when it affects a child in their lives or if that person suspects a child is in danger or being neglected. 

It can be especially hard to know what to do when a parent who suffers from mental illness or is under emotional duress ends up harming their own child. .

In addition, new mandatory reporting laws put in place after the Sandusky child sex abuse case mean that more people than ever are required to be able to recognize and report child abuse.

One of the biggest challenges for parents with mental illness is the fear that if they ask for help, their children will be taken from them. The Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance provides resources to help prevent and recognize child abuse so that both children and parents can get the support they need.  A recent initiative of the Family Support Alliance and the Lehman Center at the Children’s Aid Society called The Front Porch Project offers training to concerned citizens who wish to learn how to protect the children in their community.

Appearing on Wednesday’s Smart Talk to discuss the variety of resources that are available to support parents, including those who are mentally ill, and their families in the prevention of child abuse are Angela Liddle, president and CEO, of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, Beth Bitler, Program Director at PFSA, and Martha Martin, director of the Lehman Center in York, which is part of the Children’s Aid Society under the Church of the Brethren.