Northumberland County Children & Youth urges prevention steps; commissioners proclaim April Child Abuse Prevention Month

Northumberland County Children and Youth staff outlined local child‑abuse statistics and community prevention steps during a county commissioners meeting, and the board unanimously proclaimed April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The department said the county had 538 reports in 2023 that met the legal definition of child abuse and that 95 of those reports were substantiated after investigations. Staff gave a per‑child rate: about 30.2 reports for every 1,000 children and about 5.3 substantiated cases per 1,000 children, based on a county child population of 17,818 in 2023.

The numbers underscore the department’s prevention focus, officials said, and staff listed community actions that can reduce risk. "One thing you can do is develop nurturing and supportive relationships with children that you come into contact in your neighborhood and in places that you frequent," said Megan, a Children and Youth representative. She also urged residents to support workplace policies such as paid parental leave and to advocate for high‑quality, affordable childcare.

Melissa Eisenhower, supervisor of the county family engagement center, described local services and prevention programming run by Children and Youth, including supervised visit spaces, an independent‑living program for youth aging out of foster care and parenting classes. "We do have a lot of preventative services and I am currently the supervisor of our family engagement center," Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower also described an individual case that department staff called a ‘‘miracle’’: a child named Annabelle who was left in a hot car, survived serious injury and was later adopted. Staff asked the county and community for help raising funds for an accessible van for Annabelle. Eisenhower described plans for a countywide awareness effort and an April 22 carnival: "The big thing we're working towards is April 22 at 05:30PM in the parking lot over in the main building... We're gonna do a little carnival for the kids... free... we're working on getting some donations," she said.

Commissioners read and signed a proclamation declaring April 2025 Child Abuse Prevention Month in Northumberland County and urged residents to support prevention efforts. The proclamation was read aloud and signed unanimously by the board at the meeting.

The department asked community members to report suspected abuse when they have a suspicion — staff noted that reporting is the correct step, even when a caller is not certain — and highlighted local prevention programming as a way to lower future child‑abuse risk.

The department provided contact information and asked anyone who wants pins, to fund the carnival or help with Annabelle’s van to speak with Eisenhower after the meeting.