By Dawn Burleigh

The Orange Leader

Orange County District Attorney’s Office will host Go Blue Day at 12 noon on Friday, April 5 at Lutcher Theater porch area in Orange. Location has been changed due to the weather. 

“We started the shoe drive with a goal of a pair for each of the 211 children who died in Texas last year,” Assistant District Attorney Krispen Walker said. “We will have them on display. The items will be given to the CPS Rainbow Room.”

Walker said the office was overwhelmed by the response.

“We did not think we could do it in two weeks, and we did it in three days,” Walker said.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, Orange County District Attorney’s Office encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making Orange County a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.

Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Promoting these factors is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. The factors are:

• Nurturing and attachment
•  Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development
• Parental resilience
• Social connections
• Concrete supports for parents
• Social and emotional competence of children

“April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children and strengthening families,” said Walker said. “Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best thing our community can do to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.”

In support of these efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, it’s Child Welfare Information Gateway, the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention and over 30 national prevention partners have created 2019 Prevention Resource Guide: Strong and Thriving Families. The resource guide, designed for service providers who work throughout the community to support families, is available online.