Maui Council proclaims April as Child Abuse Prevention Month; coalition urges stable funding for prevention

The Maui County Council adopted Resolution 25-92 recognizing April 2025 as Child Abuse Prevention Month and calling attention to the role of prevention in long-term recovery and resilience for the county’s caregivers and workforce.

The resolution passed after multiple community providers testified on behalf of the Ho‘o Kaika Partnership (also referenced as Ho‘o Kaika/Hoi Kaika partnership in the record), a county coalition of nonprofits and agencies focused on preventing child abuse and supporting family resilience. Speakers described the partnership’s work distributing tangible supports after the August wildfires, delivering culturally rooted children’s books and navigation services, and running a “healing the healers” program to reduce burnout among providers. They urged stable investment and consistent funding to maintain navigators, healing programs, and other coordinated services that have supported thousands of families countywide, including in Moloka‘i and Lāna‘i.

Testifiers described adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and their long-term health impacts, and several presenters emphasized that prevention strategies—paid family leave, affordable childcare, trauma-informed care and stable workforce supports—reduce future social and health costs. Agencies listed in testimony and in the resolution include Maui Family Support Services, Neighborhood Place of Wailuku/Child & Family Service, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center of Maui, Imua Family Services, and others. Providers told the council that funding instability had forced pauses in services and staff departures.

Council members moved to adopt the resolution; a roll call was taken and the clerk recorded nine ayes and zero nos. Members thanked providers for their testimony and for work supporting families and recovery needs following the wildfires.