• smoking during pregnancy
• infant having two or more siblings
• Medicaid enrollee
• unmarried
• infant low-birth weight
• less than high school education
• teen mother
• short spacing (under 15 months) between pregnancy
• poor pre-natal care
• adverse outcomes in prior pregnancy

Most of these factors are situations that occur BEFORE the child is born and even before pregnancy.

“Children younger than three years of age are the most likely of all children to become involved with Child Welfare Services, and they have the highest rate of victimization of maltreatment among all age groups.”

Services for at-risk households are crucial to prevent these young children from being neglected and abused.  This report was mainly done to research the possibilities of taking care of these children after they enter Child Welfare Services.  However, there are organizations out there that provide support for families, mothers, and siblings of newborns.

Whenever I hear the word “risk factor” when talking about child abuse and neglect, I become wary.  I think that parents, families, and siblings are in tough situations where stress levels are increased, family history has taught parents in a certain way, and other factors are present.  Having the knowledge of where to find support services and resources is crucial to decreasing stress, breaking family history cycles, and helping in other ways.

Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families America are two resources provided by HealthNet throughout the Indianapolis community.  The staff here provide knowledge and support to families and parents who are pregnant or have children from age birth to 5.  You can help these two resources be of greater service to families in need.  Learn more about what tools are out there or donate directly by clicking here.

The statement above may not be new to anyone, but it is a good reminder of how critical a role that a primary caregiver has with a small child.  Now, think about if you ARE the primary caregiver, but you are a single parent or a couple that is underemployed and not making much money or a parent who has been laid off while yourself or your spouse was pregnant.  Think about the stress that was already present because of the pregnancy, and now think about MUCH  MORE stress is present because of job loss or lack of money available.

In a study done by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), 43.6 children per 1000 children received preventative services.  Preventative services are aimed at increasing the understanding of child development for the primary caregiver. This number has dropped since 2007, and the victimization rate in 2008 was the lowest it had been since 2003.  At first thought, it may seem alright that preventative services are declining; however, prevention is the key to the success of a lower victimization rate!

Help HealthNet’s Better Indy Babies and Healthy Families programs continue to keep preventative services steady for at-risk families.  You can help ease the stress of a caregiver by simply spreading awareness about the need for prevention or by donating a quick $25 to HealthNet.