PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE IN FAMILIES THROUGH FAMILY ACCESS TO EARLY CHILDHOOD AND PARENTING PROGRAMMES - BUT IS ENOUGH BEING DONE IN THE PROVISION AND FUNDING OF PROGRAMMES AND CAN CHILDREN BE REACHED IN TIME?  

California, May 2012 - In the past seven months, authorities in Salina allege that two children who lived here were killed by abuse in their homes.

Representatives of agencies that work with families with young children expressed frustration and horror that 14-month-old Clayden Lee Urbanek and 18-month-old Bre'Elle Ciara Jefferson may have been fatally abused.

"It makes me sick," said Charyl Zier, programme co-ordinator for Heartland Programmes, which administers Early Headstart, Headstart and Parents as Teachers. "How did we miss them? Why didn't they know about us, or if they did, what could we have done to engage them?"

Vicki Price, education director of Child Advocacy and Parenting Services, said she and her co-workers know they are making a difference in the lives of children whose parents seek CAPS assistance to learn new parenting skills.

However, they also know there are other families they are not reaching before irreparable harm is done.

Elaine Edwards, executive director of Salina Childcare, said she hopes that new United Way grant funding received by a coalition of 13 local organizations over a three-year period starting in July will help institute some new approaches that include more of the families who aren't currently receiving services.

The goal of Partners in Early Childhood Education, or PIECE, is to help children enter school on track developmentally in the areas of literacy and social, emotional and intellectual skills.

"We're trying to come up with different ways of reaching parents so we can expand services to other families who aren't able to bring their children into existing programmes," she said.

Read the full article at http://www.salina.com//news/story/abusemain1-4-29-12-SUNDAY