Thurston County Board of Health proclaims April Child Abuse Prevention Month; prosecutors and advocates outline local caseloads

The Thurston County Board of Health on April 14 formally proclaimed April 2026 as National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and county prosecutors and local advocates used the observance to highlight recent caseloads and the need for prevention.

Olivia Zoe of the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office said the Special Victims team received about 77 referrals in 2025. "Of those 77 cases, 49 of those cases were child abuse cases, 27 of those cases were child physical abuse cases, and one of them was a child homicide case," she said, adding her office filed roughly 57 cases in Thurston County Superior Court. She said 31 cases reached disposition last year, 25 by guilty plea and six by guilty verdict, including one child-homicide conviction that she said provided closure for the survivor.

Why it matters: board members and advocates said those figures show local systems are seeing a steady volume of serious child-protection cases and argued that prevention — not only prosecution — must be resourced to reduce long-term harm.

Shelly Willis, executive director of Family Education and Support Services, said her agency served more than 28,000 families last year and urged investments in prevention and family supports. Board member Jill Severn described her volunteer experience at an unhoused encampment and told the board she had repeatedly encountered people whose histories included childhood abuse, tying early trauma to later housing instability.

Sheriff (name not specified) shared a survivor perspective and urged responders and community members to "start on the side of belief and then work our way through the facts," arguing that a default position that trusts disclosures from children can improve reporting and help victims access services earlier.

The board’s proclamation cites local referral rates and national goals and encourages residents, organizations and institutions to participate in prevention activities; staff invited attendees to take pinwheels from the meeting to display in their communities as a visible reminder of prevention. The proclamation was adopted by a vote of the Board of Health.

The board closed the public-comment period with no registered online or in-person speakers and invited those who participated in the proclamation to a photo in the lobby.