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Atascosa County proclaims April 2025 Child Abuse Prevention Month after local advocates outline services and training
Summary
Commissioners adopted a proclamation naming April 2025 Child Abuse Prevention Month in Atascosa County after Michelle King described local services, caseloads and free training opportunities; the court approved the proclamation by motion.
Atascosa County Commissioners Court voted April 14 to adopt a proclamation declaring April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Atascosa County.
Michelle King, identified on the agenda as the presenter for the proclamation, told the court the county’s new alliance of local child-welfare organizations — which she described as “ambassadors for the children” and said includes CAST, CASA, SJRC and the child welfare board — is coordinating outreach and training. King said local services are provided at no cost to victims and their nonoffending family members.
The proclamation and King’s remarks stressed the scale of the problem and the county’s response. King said, “1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will experience [abuse] by the age of 18,” and that “90–98 percent of the children who have been abused know their offender.” She urged residents to learn the signs of abuse and offered a free, evening training session on April 22 called “For the Love of Our Children.”
King gave program statistics for Atascosa County for the prior year: CAST performed 116 forensic interviews, conducted 16 sexual-assault nurse exams, provided 274 hours of child therapy and 32 hours of adult therapy, and reported $71,650 in services invested in Atascosa County. She also said the multi-county program conducted 417 forensic interviews across five counties and provided $292,925 in services across that service area. King said all services are free and lifetime services are available to children and their nonoffending family members.
Commissioner Gillespie moved to approve the proclamation; Commissioner Bowen seconded. The court voted to approve the proclamation; a recorded tally was not provided in the minutes.
Why it matters: County officials and local advocates said prevention and access to trauma-informed services reduce long-term harm to children and families. The proclamation directs county attention and public awareness to prevention and local support services and publicizes a training opportunity county residents can take at no charge.
The court scheduled a photo with participants after the proclamation, and King provided contact information for the training (development@kascac.org).
