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Children’s Center of Clackamas County urges community action in Child Abuse Prevention Month
Summary
The Children’s Center described its trauma‑informed assessment, medical and therapy services, and community trainings, and urged schools and residents to report concerns and use prevention resources.
Laura Sisolak, director of the Children’s Center of Clackamas County, told the Oregon City School District board that the center offers trauma‑informed forensic interviews, medical examinations and therapy for children and families referred for suspected abuse and neglect.
The center serves all of Clackamas County and is on pace to complete more than 500 full assessments this year, Sisolak said. “Our mission is to work with the community to end child abuse and neglect through assessment, treatment, and prevention,” she told the board, adding that the center also offers urgent appointments and practitioner consultations for school staff.
The nut graf: The Children’s Center asked the district to treat prevention as a community effort — reporting suspected abuse, using the center’s free trainings for staff and parents, and connecting struggling families to services — and described how the center reduces trauma by coordinating interviews and examinations in one, child‑friendly setting.
Sisolak gave context for school staff: nationally more than 600,000 children are reported victims of abuse or neglect each year, and district student health surveys suggest disclosed experiences are closer to 20 percent — “we’re just seeing the tip of the iceberg,” she said. The center emphasized that neglect is the most frequent form of maltreatment and that peer‑to‑peer problematic sexual behavior among children is an increasingly requested training topic that the center can address.
Board members asked about the center’s relationship with the district. Sisolak said the center consults with school counseling teams, presents at family forums, provides live mandatory‑reporting trainings for professionals and offers consultations for specific classroom cases. She noted the center can also help families find resources before the case reaches a level requiring a forensic assessment.
Sisolak outlined prevention work the center offers year‑round and highlighted its April campaign, Thriving Together. Programs include online‑safety and boundary trainings, a screening of the documentary Screenagers, and family events; all are free. She urged educators to contact the center for training and to use the DHS hotline when a mandatory report is required.
The presentation ended with an offer to partner with schools on professional development and family events and with a reminder that rapid referral to the Children’s Center can reduce repeated interviews and limit additional trauma for children.
Ending: The board thanked Sisolak and said it would circulate the center’s training calendar to district staff and families.
