For Immediate Release Contact: Joseph Smack
Monday, October 21, 2019 (302) 633-2501 or 893-8930 (m)
Joseph.smack@delaware.gov

Child Abuse Reporting Options Expand in Delaware

New reporting portal allows reports of child abuse to be received via mobile & other devices

Wilmington – The Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families (DSCYF) has launched a new reporting portal that allows both professionals and members of the community to submit online reports of suspected child abuse and neglect. The new portal, with its enhanced functionality, is more efficient and can be accessed on any mobile device or desktop. It was developed in partnership with Deloitte Digital and replaces an older online reporting form that was not able to be completed on a mobile device, nor could it transfer information directly to the child welfare database.

“We receive approximately 21,000 reports of abuse or neglect per year and timely and accurate reporting is critical to protecting the children who need our help,” said Josette Manning, Cabinet Secretary of DSCYF. “This new reporting portal will help reduce wait times for persons making reports of child abuse and neglect and will help our staff at our 24 hour report line by reducing the need to manually enter information into the database,” concluded, Manning.

To access the online reporting portal and for information about recognizing the signs of child abuse, please visit iseethesigns.org. Reporters may still utilize the child abuse and neglect hotline, at 1-800-292-9582, and should keep in mind that neither the online portal nor the hotline are a substitute for calling 911 in a true emergency. As always, reporters may choose to remain anonymous.

The Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit https://kids.delaware.gov

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Senate Bill 102, supported by Beau Biden Foundation, develops training program for educators, school staff

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Tuesday signed into law Senate Bill 102, legislation supported by the Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children that develops a coordinated training program for educators to detect and prevent child abuse.  The bill consolidates Delaware law to improve child sexual abuse training and detection, suicide prevention, anti-bullying programs, criminal youth gang detection, and teen dating violence and sexual assault prevention.

Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry sponsored the bill, which passed the General Assembly with unanimous, bipartisan support. It applies to all public schools, including charter schools, and vocational school districts.

“Beau Biden had a deep and unyielding commitment to protecting children from abuse, and I am honored to continue supporting his mission by signing this legislation into law,” said Governor Carney. “I cannot think of any job more important than protecting children. Educators who work every day with Delaware students are in a unique position to help detect warning signs, and act to prevent abuse. This law will help them do that by developing a program to coordinate training, and allowing schools the flexibility to tailor training to the needs of their students. Thank you to Senator Henry, and everyone who made this law a reality, including everyone at the Beau Biden Foundation.”

“Our schools are places of learning, but they also provide vital services to our kids,” said Senate Majority Leader Margaret Rose Henry, D-Wilmington East. “It’s on all of us to recognize and intervene in bullying, youth violence, child abuse, and teen depression, but it’s clear that our schools are a critical part of that fight. Senate Bill 102 builds on the great work of groups like the Beau Biden Foundation by ensuring that public and charter school employees across Delaware are capable of recognizing signs of non-academic problems in a student’s life and intervening appropriately. At a minimum, these trainings will help improve our kids’ quality of life—and they could even save a life. I’m proud to have sponsored this legislation and I thank my colleagues and Governor Carney for their support.”

The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children, which advocated for the legislation, continues Beau’s lifelong commitment to protecting children from the threat of abuse and neglect. In 2011, Beau and his partners at the Delaware Department of Justice, Prevent Child Abuse Delaware and the Delaware YMCA pledged to train 5% of Delaware’s population in the only evidence informed child sexual abuse prevention program in the country – Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children. The Beau Biden Foundation continues to deliver the program, and to date, over 27,000 Delawareans have taken the training.

“We’re thrilled to see Senate Bill 102 signed in to law,” said Patty Dailey Lewis, Executive Director of the Beau Biden Foundation. “Delaware leads the nation in child sexual abuse prevention training. In the next few years, we will reach our goal of educating 5% of our population on ways to recognize the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, react responsibly when a child divulges they’ve been abused, and work to minimize opportunities for predators to harm children. Teachers and school staff are on the front lines of child protection – we stand ready to lead the way and assist them in fulfilling their training requirement.”

“By streamlining the non-academic trainings required by school district and charter school staff, Delaware is providing our state educators with additional flexibility and support,” said Dr. Susan Bunting, Secretary of the Delaware Department of Education. “Schools are now able to reduce the burden of having multiple, different trainings and can also mix and match their training to meet specific professional development needs. This is a win for all educators in the state.”

“As we strive to bring greater awareness to issues such as child abuse and neglect, bullying, teen dating violence, youth gangs and suicide prevention, we recognize that our community partners are on the frontline, helping us protect Delaware’s children every day,” said Josette Manning, Secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families.  “Delaware has thousands of enthusiastic and dedicated educators, school nurses, and counselors, all of whom have frequent contact with our children and play key roles in keeping them safe.  Senate Bill 102 will provide one more tool to help them be the voice for our children. Working together, we can provide a brighter future for Delaware’s children.”

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Wilmington – The lighting of Legislative Hall in blue, the symbolic color of child abuse prevention, for the first week of April is just one of the activities scheduled for National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Delaware Children’s Department in partnership with the Attorney General’s office, and child advocacy organizations such as the Child Protection Accountability Commission (CPAC), and the Child Death, Near Death and Stillbirth Commission (CDNDSC) is highlighting not only the importance of recognizing and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect, but the preventative steps that families can take to reduce the risk that such things will happen.

“We all have a responsibility to ensure our children are safe,” said Governor Jack Markell. “Reporting suspected child abuse or neglect not only has the potential to save a life, but also gives a voice to vulnerable children in need.”

“While we continue to raise awareness about the obligation to report any suspicions that a child is at risk of harm, we also believe it’s important to support strategies and interventions to limit that risk in the first place.” said DSCYF Cabinet Secretary Jennifer Ranji.

Other activities highlighting awareness in April include a meeting on April 8th to encourage youth serving organizations to sign up for Stewards of Children prevention training, and a Blue Bow awareness event and Proclamation Signing with Governor Jack Markell on April 25th in front of Legislative Hall in Dover. Stewards of Children, coordinated locally by Prevent Child Abuse Delaware, is a program for youth serving and community organizations that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse.

Both reporting and prevention will also be highlighted through radio ads airing on stations statewide in April. Governor Markell recorded a spot encouraging Delawareans to learn the signs of abuse and neglect by visiting www.iseethesigns.org, and make the call to the 24 hour Report Line at 1-800-292-9582 to report concerns. Billboards with the report line and website number will also be visible statewide. A second radio ad features prevention tips for parents.

With calls to the Report Line at historically high levels (over 16,000 calls were made to report suspected abuse and neglect in 2012), early identification of the risk of child abuse and providing prevention strategies for families is an important focus for the Children’s Department.

That’s why the Department’s Division of Family Services is promoting awareness of Help Me Grow, coordinated by the Division of Public Health’s Bureau of Maternal and Child Health. Help Me Grow is a multi-sector partnership that helps connect families of children ages birth through eight with a variety of services; including home visits by a trained professional with expertise in breastfeeding, nutrition, newborn care, child safety, and more. This can include new and expecting families who can benefit from home visiting services, or families facing multiple challenges that may need assistance accessing low income services and support (i.e. Purchase of Care child care subsidy, Medicaid, TANF), housing etc. Families can talk with a Help Me Grow call specialist by dialing 2-1-1, which is a free centralized phone line statewide.

“There is no one strategy that will prevent child abuse, as it takes a collective effort,” said Division of Family Services Director Victoria Kelly. “The most important thing we can do is to support a community norm that the well-being of our children is the foundation of a healthy society.”

According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, by ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent child maltreatment. Research shows that when parents possess six protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish. The six protective factors are: Nurturing and attachment; Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development; Parental resilience; Social connections; Concrete supports for parents; Social and emotional developmental well-being. The Children’s Department is addressing these factors through its partnership with Help Me Grow. Additional hands on prevention tips for dealing with stress, and parenting babies, toddlers and teens can be now be found on www.iseethesigns.org as well.

The Delaware Children’s Department provides services to children who have been abused, neglected, are dependent, have mental health or substance problems, have been adjudicated delinquent by the Courts, as well as prevention services targeted toward all youth. For more information, please visit www.kids.delaware.gov.