Cook Children's Center for Community Health Collaborates with Community Partners to Raise Awareness about Child Abuse Prevention

By Kaley Johnson

This month, you may see a sudden proliferation of pinwheels at Cook Children’s Fort Worth Medical Center and Prosper campus. They represent an awareness and prevention campaign that Cook Children’s undertakes each April during Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Each of the 1,604 pinwheels in Fort Worth  represents a visit to the CARE where a child was evaluated for concerns of abuse or neglect in 2023. Not all of those visits are confirmed cases of child abuse; about half of the children referred to the CARE team for physical abuse, for example, are confirmed as physical abuse cases. The 1,148 wheels at Prosper represent the number of child abuse cases in Denton County in 2023. The purpose of the pinwheels is to show the scale and impact that child abuse and neglect has on our community, while also exemplifying the resources available to victims.

“It really kind of highlights that childlike, whimsical view, and it also represents for us a child that was seen in our care team due to child abuse and neglect reasons,” said Frances Wampler, MA, LSSGB, Program Coordinator with the Cook Children’s Center for Community Health. “But it's also our hope for the future for children to be able to live a safe and happy life free of child abuse and neglect.”

The pinwheels are only one part of Cook Children’s 24/7 efforts to raise awareness about, prevent and care for those impacted by child abuse and neglect. Across North Texas, Cook Children’s is part of a vast support network for families to not only help children when abuse happens, but also to step in beforehand and prevent it.

Across eight counties, Cook Children’s Center for Community Health partners with community groups to determine on a grass-roots level what different areas need to prevent child abuse and neglect. Child abuse and neglect is often associated with different risk factors, like mental health issues, domestic violence and addiction.

“I think when you think about child abuse and neglect, sometimes it sounds really scary. There are those instances that are really intense and severe,” said Frances. “But then there are also cases like neglect that you might not see or think of as child abuse.”

This year for Child Abuse Awareness month, the network is focusing on two specific elements of child abuse: neglect and protective factors.

Protective factors are conditions that can help prevent a problem or negative outcomes; community support for families, proper health care and mental health care all are tools that can help prevent child abuse and neglect. For example, the Center for Community Health gives parents and caregivers support while encouraging positive parenting skills, and teaching child development and behavior management.

Neglect is another focus of this year’s Child Abuse Prevention Month. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse, Wampler said, but it can at times be less apparent than other forms of abuse. Neglect of a child may look like malnourishment, dirty clothing and living quarters, child left alone for long periods of time and/or frequent absences and tardiness at school. 

This year’s campaign ties those two focus areas together, Wampler said, to not only raise awareness about what neglect looks like, but also provide resources to struggling families in order to prevent neglect from happening. 

“So not just the awareness piece, but also what to do,” Wampler said. “So as a mom, for example, if you're not too sure what to do with a crying baby, we can educate on how to soothe your baby and put out some tips related to that. 

Working with community partners

Cook Children’s and its partners work to raise awareness about what abuse and neglect looks like and create support systems for families. That support includes education and awareness of what abuse and neglect is and providing opportunities for families to interact in a positive way. For example, Cook Children'sCenter for Community Health coordinates with the Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas to host Family Fun Nights, where families have access to community resources while attending a fun event.

Kristin Howell, CEO of the Children’s Advocacy Center of North Texas, said that activity night is one example of the ways in which Cook Children’s and its partners engage the community. Awareness of those resources is important, she said, because child abuse and neglect is not as rare or distant as some people might want to believe. At least eight times a day, she said, a crime happens against a child.

“This is not something that a parent prepares for, but it does happen frequently,” she said. “And the amazing thing is that once it happens, there is a remarkable team in place in your community who jumps into action. And we know exactly how to solve this problem and help you navigate it. Cook Children’s has been a huge partner with us in that effort.”

About eight times a day, Kristen said, a child comes into the Advocacy Center due to possible neglect or abuse. When that happens, the “team envelopes them.”

“One of the most important partnerships we have is that with our medical providers,” Howell said. “And Cook Children’s steps up to the plate for kids every day in that way.”

The C.A.R.E. Team

When a child might be abused or neglected, they need a wellness exam and possibly other medical care; Cook Children’s has a team of experts who can help provide or coordinate those healing services.

The C.A.R.E. Team, or Child Advocacy Resource and Evaluation Team, is a team of experts, led by pediatricians who are board certified in child abuse medicine, who can provide medical and forensic evaluations, sexual abuse screening and preventative education.

Dr. Jamye Coffman, MD, MPH, has been a member of the C.A.R.E. team for 24 years. The clinic is on call 24/7 for concerns of neglect and abuse. If a child comes into the ER who may have been neglected or abused, the ER staff can call the C.A.R.E. team to assist in their care. The team evaluates a plethora of factors in each case such as if the child has a medical condition that can mimic child abuse or neglect symptoms. They can also review medical records and referrals to CPS and law enforcement.

However, their services extend beyond Cook Children’s walls. Often, they go to advocacy centers across a dozen counties to discuss cases through the lens of their medical expertise with case workers and advocates. They also help coordinate care for families in need through the network Cook Children’s has helped create, connecting families with women’s centers, early childhood intervention services, physical therapy and other resources.

The multifaceted network of child abuse and prevention is a collaborative effort that “connects the dots,” Wampler said, across various Cook Children’s departments, community organizations and partners across North Texas.

“I think it's important for our children to (create this network) because we are a big voice in our community,” Wampler said. “And our promise talks about how every child's life is sacred. We're helping bring other partners together to help meet that need as well and to be aware of what's happening in our community and protective of those that are the most vulnerable.”