CALM Helping Prevent and Treat Local Child Abuse
SANTA MARIA, Calif. – As charges have been filed against a 24-year-old Orcutt man for the murder of a 19-month-old girl, new light is being cast on child abuse in Santa Barbara County.
“Every year in Santa Barbara County, there’s approximately 5,000 cases of child abuse cases reported to Child Welfare Services,” said Sandra Fuhring, a licensed marriage and family therapist and CALM North County Development Associate.
Fuhring notes that a staggering 80% of child abuse cases in Santa Barbara County come from the north county region.
“It’s disheartening to see so many child abuse reports in our area,” said Sarah Valverde, CALM marriage and family therapist.
Many factors are contributing to child abuse, particularly in Northern Santa Barbara County.
“It has a lot to do with the stressors that parents and families are exposed to everyday,” said Fuhring. “We have a really high rate of poverty in our area. There’s a lot of housing affordability issues, issues of just meeting basis needs, families being able to access food, mental health needs, substance abuse needs, stuff like that.”
Helping in the fight against child abuse is CALM, which is short for Child Abuse Listening Mediation.
“CALM is a non-profit who’s mission is real simple, to prevent, assess and treat child abuse in Santa Barbara County. On a daily basis, we’re trying to support parents and give them the skills they need to decent parents,” said Fuhring.
Created in 1969, CALM was started shortly after the death of a baby in Santa Barbara due to abuse. Services provided by CALM include counseling, support groups, therapy and consultation.
“CALM was started in hopes that we could prevent that from happening,” said Fuhring. “So it’s really hard to hear that it’s still happening, and we’re not meeting the need yet and there’s still more to be done.”
One way to help prevent child abuse is to bring awareness to the community that there are resources to draw from that can present valuable and much needed solutions.
“If you are a stressed out parent with young children in your home, a or a teenager that you feel is out of control and you don’t know what to do, then call us, we will help you, and if we can’t offer that program, then we will tell you who can,” said Valverde.
Valverde has advice for parents or guardians who might face a moment of truth, when they reach a breaking point and might act out on a child.
“Walk away. Walk away from your child, put that child down, the child is not going to die from screaming or crying, but will be hurt if you strike that child,” said Valverde. “Take some deep breaths, count to 10, call a friend, get help, have a neighbor come over, call a partner or some support that you have to come over and give you a break.”
Over the past couple of years, television viewers likely noticed a series of public service announcements for CALM, which has prominently featured its “I Will Not Be Silent” campaign.
“It’s really asking the community to take a stance that they’re not going to let this continue to happen and that they will not be silent when a child is in need or when a parent needs support,” said Fuhring.
The campaign hopes people will be encouraged and motivated to speak out if they see or suspect child abuse. Doing so, may save a life.
CALM has offices in Santa Barbara, Santa Maria and Lompoc.
For more information about CALM, call (805) 965-2376 or visit calm4kids.org
