Rep. Jack Jordan: April marks Child Abuse Prevention Month

Monday, April 15, 2024 at 10:00 PM

According to a report from 2022, the Indiana Department of Child Services investigated 308 child fatalities in which abuse or neglect was a suspected factor and sadly that's up about 13 percent from the previous year.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and it's important we all do more to spread awareness and share information about where Hoosiers can go for help.

Representative Jack Jordan (R-Bremen) said, “Organizations like Prevent Child Abuse Indiana offer educational resources and prevention trainings for parents and individuals who want to learn more about spotting and reporting signs of child abuse.”

To report suspected child abuse or neglect, call the Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556.

Rep. Jordan said, “This session, I supported a new law aimed at helping children in Indiana's foster system by ensuring their safety is the most important factor for judges considering reunification cases. The law will give DCS and the court system tools and concise guidelines when planning for permanency and stability for these vulnerable children.”

Jordan continued, “Another new law I supported will help abused and neglected children who are part of child in need of services or CHINS cases. While the state's goal is to reunify a child with their parent or guardian, sometimes it's not in the best interest of the child. In these situations, children can wait for a year or more in foster care until their case is resolved. If reunification isn't possible, the child continues to wait as the state develops a new plan to place them in a permanent home. To help reduce the amount of time they spend in foster care, DCS will develop an alternative plan alongside the reunification plan to make sure the child can either be reunited with their family or placed in a permanent home once their case is decided.”

Representative Jordan closed his comments saying, “This Child Abuse Prevention Month, I encourage you to take time to learn more about prevention strategies to stop child abuse in Indiana. As your state representative, I pledge to always fight for our most vulnerable, especially our young children.”