Child Safety Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Charleston Activists Call For Action On Gun Violence

The West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action will host a Wear Orange event to honor the lives of those affected by gun violence and elevate gun violence prevention efforts nationwide.

The West Virginia chapter of Moms Demand Action will host a Wear Orange event Friday June 2 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church to honor the lives of those affected by gun violence and elevate gun violence prevention efforts nationwide.

Diane Pendleton is event lead for the Charleston chapter of Moms Demand Action.

“Moms Demand Action is a part of an organization called Everytown for Gun Safety,” she said. “We are all walks of life. We’re a nonpartisan group. There’s 10 million supporters now and we work together for gun safety. We work together for gun violence prevention and for keeping our families safe.”

June 2 is National Gun Violence Awareness Day, and the event is part of Wear Orange Weekend. Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015 — what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. It began with teenagers in Chicago, who wanted to honor their friend, Hadiya, after she was shot and killed on a playground at 15 years old.

“Her friends got together and came up with the idea of orange because it is the color to protect people from guns, for example, hunters,” Pendleton said. “Orange honors Hydeia Pendleton. There’s also 120 people shot every day in the United States, as well as hundreds more that are wounded.”

The event will feature speakers, food and activities for children.

“Community events bring the community together to raise awareness and elevate prevention and education. Specifically, we’re working together to keep the guns out of the wrong hands,” Pendleton said.

She said the organization is focused on keeping guns out of the places where they should not be, such as schools and other places where children are.

“We can also prevent the unintentional shootings where children gain access to the gun and just a horrific tragedy happens in the home,” Pendleton said. “And I’ll add to that two thirds of the gun deaths are from suicide, and we believe there are ways to prevent this.”

Pendleton said the event is a call to action for community members.

“Call your state senators to demand common sense gun safety laws,“ Pendleton said. “And examples of those are background checks on every sale, red flag laws, safe storage requirements, and now a ban on assault weapons.”

West Virginia Child Advocacy Network Releases Annual Report

In the past year, Child Advocacy Centers in West Virginia served 4,703 children which was a 20 percent increase in new children served in the last five years, according to a new report.

On Tuesday morning, The West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) released an annual report of service from the state’s 21 Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) where child protection, criminal justice, and child treatment professionals work together to investigate abuse, hold offenders accountable, and help children heal.

Kate Flack, CEO of WVCAN, said operating under the CAC model, instead of referring victims between agencies where children may be subjected to multiple interviews, is proving more effective.

“They coordinate the response around the child for an effective child-centered healing process,” Flack said. “We support multidisciplinary approaches to ensure that child victims of abuse have the best outcomes in our state. So we also work to make sure that local communities are empowered to provide this comprehensive, coordinated and compassionate services to victims of child abuse.”

WVCAN currently works with 45 of West Virginia’s 55 counties, serving 94 percent of the state’s population. But Flack worries about the six percent of the population not served by a CAC, leaving 33,770 children without these resources.

“For a community to decide that they want to do that, they’re making a really big statement in support of their kids and families in their communities,” Flack said. “So it’s a lot of work, but we do want to show that in West Virginia, even in the last 15 years, we went from only a couple of CACs to now 21 serving 45 counties.”

In an effort to bring awareness to children’s health needs and destigmatize the issue, the report includes data on victim demographics and statistics.

“By providing very positive messaging and education around what support exists and how children can go on to lead very healthy, happy lives, even in the wake of abuse, we are seeing a de-stigmatization of being a survivor of child sexual abuse,” Flack said. “Overall in thecountry, the prevalence and incidence of child abuse is decreasing overall, especially in the sexual abuse arena, and we really attribute that to education, awareness, and more quick reporting.”

If people suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, they can call the West Virginia hotline at 1-800-352-6513 or visit WVCAN’s website.

Boating Safety Rules And Tips This Holiday Weekend

West Virginia’s waterways will be full of recreational boaters this holiday weekend. DNR police officers say to be safe — and have fun — in that order. Every year about this time, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources runs its Operation Dry Water campaign.

West Virginia’s waterways will be full of recreational boaters this holiday weekend. DNR police officers say to be safe — and have fun — in that order.

Every year about this time, the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources runs its Operation Dry Water campaign.

“It’s important to get that message out every year that says boating is a fun recreational activity, but you have to be responsible about it. If not, people that are close to you have the potential to be injured,” said Lt. Col. David Trader, the DNR’s deputy chief of law enforcement.

Trader said it’s the law that boat operators must remain clean and sober. But he also said no one on board, for safety’s sake, should be visibly impaired, intoxicated or using drugs.

“They can still stumble around or fall out of a boat or get injured, “Trader said. “The overall picture of boating responsibly dictates that we control behaviors out in the water so that people don’t get hurt.”

The law says all passengers must have a U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation device on board. Try those life preservers on before you take off, Trader said, especially on the kids.

“First thing you should do is put the lifejacket on,” Trader said. “Make sure it fits them, make sure that it’s rated and in good condition and then keep it on.”

All boats must also have an audible warning device like a horn or whistle, and meet lighting requirements for night boating.

DNR police officers across this state will be out on all West Virginia lakes and navigable rivers this weekend.

Parent Toolkits from Sesame Workshop

Abby Cadabby and a host of other Sesame Street friends share a song and video about brushing teeth. In true Sesame Street fashion we are engaged and encouraged to have toothbrushing become a part of the daily routine.

This is just one of a host of parent and caregiver toolkits which cover topics from Asthma and Autism to Grief and Divorce. These toolkits have been developed to help adults explain hard topics with their children. These kits are available online at Sesame Parent Toolkits.

The topics covered in the toolkits are presented with video clips of beloved Sesame characters coping with the topic issue: Big Bird looks at food insecurity and goes with his grandmother to a food pantry, Elmo talks about his sadness at the death of his uncle. Coupled with those video clips are video segments of real families dealing with these challenging issues. The content in these toolkits comes complete with songs and problem solving ideas that is part of the Sesame formula.

If you are looking to talk with your child about a difficult subject, these toolkits might just give you a context to begin that talk.

Child Advocacy Groups Question Governor's Priorities

Child abuse and poverty prevention advocates are questioning Governor Earl Ray Tomblin’s priorities.

Among the $67 million worth of cuts from the budget bill Thursday was about a $1 million reduction in funding for programs meant to prevent child abuse and child poverty.

Governor Tomblin started the 2014 session with a budget that cut funding for programs like In Home Family Education, Family Resource Networks, Child Advocacy Centers and other child abuse prevention programs.

Throughout the session the groups worked together to call on legislators in the House and Senate to restore funding to these agencies … and it worked, until the final budget signing.

In this case Tomblin rolled back what the legislature appropriated to his budget recommendations.

In a letter Governor Tomblin said, “…cuts are never easy but are necessary in our state’s current financial situation.” In some items Tomblin said the cuts were made to “determine if any duplication is taking place” in things like family support programs.

Stephen Smith is disappointed to see cuts to programs meant to help the most vulnerable kids and families.

“Your budget is a moral document,” Director of the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Family Coalition Stephen Smith said. “It’s a statement of what you think is important of the priorities of what you think is important.”

“If this is our moral document than we’re saying that luxury hotels and other programs and casinos and other things and those things are more important than early childhood programs.”

On the same day, the governor signed into law an extension of the Tourism Development Act which is expected to provide millions in tax breaks to The Greenbrier Resort. Owner Jim Justice says the money will be used to build an NFL training camp for the New Orleans Saints. The camp is expected to bring in tourism dollars to Greenbrier County.

Tips and tricks for a safe Halloween

A princess, a superhero, a monster, or a ghost. No matter what you’re child has chosen to don on Halloween this year, as a parent safety is a top priority. Here’s a list of the top ten safety tips for you and your child this holiday:

Choose bright costumes- plan costumes with your child that are bright colors or add reflective tape to costumes and bags or carry a flashlight to make children more visible to drivers
Avoid baggy costumes- choose a costume that fits and avoid large mask that may prevent your child from being fully aware of his or her surroundings
Flame resistance- while shopping, choose costumes that are labeled “flame resistant”
Always test makeup- test makeup on a small area of skin before applying to larger areas to know how skin will react to the product; remove it before children go to bed to avoid skin and eye irritation
Safety with accessories- swords, knives or similar accessories should be short, soft and flexible to avoid injury
Accompany your child- escort your child whenever possible or create a trick-or-treat-plan with older children outlying where they can go; assure older children are always in a group and at least one person in the group has a cell phone
Know your neighborhood- only visit homes that are well lit, remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk; if a sidewalk is not available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic and always look both ways when crossing the street
Do not enter a home- do not allow children to enter any home unless you accompany them
Examine all treats- check treats for choking hazards and tampering before allowing a child to eat them; never accept a treat if it is unwrapped or looks as if it has been opened
Make a clear path- when passing out candy, make sure your home is well lit and has a clear path to the entrance to avoid tripping trick-or-treaters

These tips were compiled form the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.