In light of the ongoing child sex abuse scandal involving Penn State University, officials at Summit County Children Services (SCCS) are reminding area residents of the critical importance of quickly reporting to Children Services any instances of suspected child abuse and neglect – especially those of a sexual nature.
“Beyond the physical and emotional harm done to the children mentioned in the Penn State case, one of the greatest tragedies of this entire situation involves the serious concerns about how the alleged crimes committed were reported or not reported in a proper and timely manner,” said SCCS Executive Director John Saros.
“While laws differ from state to state, in Ohio, there are many categories of individuals for whom reporting suspected abuse directly to the local children services agency or law enforcement is mandated by law. These ‘mandated reporters’ include teachers, physicians, day care center workers and many others, and our agency offers free training to these mandated reporter groups on how to recognize and report child abuse and neglect. When dealing with the safety and well-being of our community’s children, however, it is critically important for any individual witnessing or suspecting any type of child abuse or neglect – especially sexual abuse – to call as soon as possible our agency’s 24-Hour Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline Number at (330) 434-KIDS.”
Calls made to the Hotline are fielded by highly-trained intake department workers who quickly determine whether the report warrants an agency staff member investigative visit. Due to the serious nature of some of the cases that are reported, such as suspected child sexual abuse, in July of this year SCCS created a special unit called the Serious Trauma Assessment Team (STAT). This dedicated STAT unit is comprised of five social workers who have had years of specialized training and front-line experience in dealing with the special physical and emotional concerns that confront both the child victims and their family members. They also have developed important relationships with community partner agencies who can step in to help with the healing.
Mandated reporters, or other community groups interested in having a presentation on reporting and recognizing child abuse and neglect can call the Summit County Children Services Community Relations Department at (330) 379-2090. Once again, to make a report of possible child abuse and neglect, call the agency’s 24-hour Hotline number at (330) 434-KIDS.