Local LE Spreads Awareness About Child Abuse

This last week of April wraps up National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Glasgow Police Department as well as the Valley County Sheriff's Office all helped support the nationwide effort during the month. They have processes in the works to prevent and handle child abuse that occurs not only in our community but also the other four counties the Northeast Montana (NEMT) Services victim specialists serve.

It's common to wear blue throughout the month of April to help spread awareness about child abuse, however the call was put out to the community by the Glasgow Police Department earlier in the month to wear blue on April 11 to help raise awareness about child abuse within our own communities. Local law enforcement from the Glasgow Police Department and the Valley County Sheriff's office donned blue clothing, ribbons and bracelets while those in the community also wore blue to support the effort. Local coffee shops also got the word out. Blend10 offered a discount of 50 cents off a drink for anyone wearing blue with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Youth Dynamics while The Loaded Toad offered a coffee special of blueberry pancake and a Lotus special of blue raspberry with a portion of those sales also donated to help prevent child abuse.

"Everyone came out in unison to wear blue. It was so cool to see the word get out there and have it be more than just having people wear blue," explained victim specialist of the NEMT Victim Services and Glasgow Police Department Jewel Etherington.

The statistics on child abuse are staggering. One in 10 children will be victims of sexual abuse by the time they are 18 and it's often by someone that they know. "Stranger danger is a real thing, but we also have to teach children how to speak up when something is not right with those they are close with," said Etherington.

To help teach children the tools necessary to speak up, Etherington has been working hard to get into the different schools of the five counties she serves, Phillips, Daniels, Valley, Sheridan and Roosevelt. The safety talk ROAR is provided to the preschoolers through second-graders which teaches kids how to use their voices and talk to a trusted adult when things aren't right. Last week Etherington started taking over the Glasgow Middle School health classes for the Power Up and Speak Up program, which teaches healthy relationships in peer and non-peer groups. "The hope is to build healthy friendships so then they can have healthy relationships and develop boundaries early," explained Etherington. The program is a series of five lessons which were broken down into three sessions for the middle school health class. "I have done overviews and modifications for this program in the past, focusing on the basics of combining cyber safety with basic relationships, but this will be the first time we are going through the full program," stated Etherington.

In addition to speaking at schools, Etherington and the Glasgow Police Department are working towards achieving national accreditation for a Children's Advocacy Center. "There is a multitude of accreditation standards you have to have and we are super close. We are still needing a forensic certified nurse and a mental health provider, which is hard to find in northeast Montana," said Etherington.

Children's advocacy centers are safe, confidential, child-centered environments where families have the benefits of comprehensive services including forensic interviews, medical care, counseling, case management and advocacy. "It would treat and care for the whole child. They would be interviewed once by one person and a multidisciplinary team of law enforcement, CPS, prosecution, victim services and medical staff would all come together to help the child," said Etherington. There would also be specialized training staff, the interview room would be child friendly, and with the forensic interviewing, the child would be interviewed in their own language, allowing them to tell their story in a safe environment.

Currently, of the 10 counties in Montana currently in the process of getting accredited, Valley County is the closest and the hope is to have it be completed within the year. "It just brings resources to the community and so there is a protocol for child cases. It makes sure the child is not further victimized and/or falls through the cracks during the process," explained Etherington.

The Advocacy Center would not only serve Valley County but also the other four counties Etherington serves. The plan is to have a satellite office and an interview room in Plentywood with the main office being in the Glasgow Police Department's building. They are still looking for a name for the center and welcomes community input. "We are currently looking at naming it after one of two child crimes that affected the whole area of northeast Montana however we are certainly open on ideas. We want it to encompass all five counties we serve as well as represent what we are trying to do in protecting the children," said Etherington.

Etherington explains the standards for the children's advocacy center within the department have been followed however by completing the process to be accredited provides a better experience for the child.

"It's a good idea to follow standards. We are consistently looking at new data on how we need to change standards so the child is being protected as much as they can. By having law enforcement buy-in, every child case is treated the same and the child has the same support throughout the whole process," explained Etherington on why the accreditation process is in motion.

The next project Etherington will also be undertaking is becoming a facilitator for the Darkness to Light program which provides community sessions on recognizing child sexual abuse, what to look for, the statistics as well as how to help the child get the resources they need. She has done some initial trainings and needs to complete a seminar with the hopes to implement the sessions starting in the summer.

Etherington is always looking for volunteers to help with her efforts and also welcomes community input to help name the soon-to-be accredited Children Advocacy Center. She can be contacted at 406-228-8050 or by email at [email protected].

If you encounter child sexual abuse, resources and support are available. Call to have questions answered or chat with a trained crisis counselor, 24/7 at no charge. All conversations are confidential.Call 866.for.light or text light to 741741

The Montana Child Abuse Hotline is 866-597-0590 and is available 24/7.

To get involved or to be apart of the solution you can find more information at http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/