All children deserve to grow up safe and protected

All children deserve to grow up feeling safe and protected and have their basic needs met.

Children do best when they are raised in safe and nurturing environments with healthy relationships. Unfortunately, far too many children experience abuse or neglect.

Child abuse or neglect is when a parent/caregiver does something that harms a child or fails to do things to keep a child safe and healthy. This can create lifelong physical and mental health issues for the child. Often, the cycle of abuse continues.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April is an opportunity to raise awareness and support healthy families — so every child can grow up safe and happy.

“Child abuse prevention involves proactively identifying families at risk and providing them with education, tools and support. We also need to address the underlying factors that contribute to trauma within families, such as poverty, substance misuse and mental health issues,” said Sangita Rangala, MD, FAAEM, emergency medicine physician and medical director of the Care Center at Endeavor Health Edward Hospital.

The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau, provides a tip sheet that highlights important information for families about child abuse and neglect: what it is, how to recognize it, and what to do if someone is not safe.

Child abuse or neglect can come in the form of:

• Physical abuse – when a parent/caregiver seriously hurts or injures a child. 
• Neglect – when a parent/caregiver does not make sure a child’s basic needs are met (i.e., food, shelter, medical care, etc.).
• Sexual abuse – when a parent or other adult inappropriately touches a child, has a child inappropriately touch them, or exposes a child to sexually inappropriate photos or videos.
• Emotional abuse – when a parent/caregiver harms a child’s emotional health, such as repeatedly putting down, making fun of, threatening or ignoring them.

Below are some (not all) signs that a child is potentially being abused or neglected:

• The child has injuries (bruises, burns, cuts, etc.) that they can’t or won’t explain, or the explanation doesn’t make sense.
• The child is frightened of his or her parents or other adults.
• The child hurts pets or other animals.
• The child spends a lot of time at home without a parent/caregiver (if the child is young).
• The child uses alcohol or drugs.
• The child avoids going home or spending time with a particular adult.
• The child often comes to school in dirty clothes.

If you suspect or know that a child is being abused or neglected, help is available. Call the National Child Abuse 24/7 Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) and press 1.

Learn how to recognize and report child abuse or neglect.

Find crisis hotlines for youth.

Endeavor Health’s dedicated SANE nurses (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners) provide specialized, compassionate care to sexual assault survivors and are located at multiple Endeavor Health hospitals throughout Chicagoland. Find SANEs at hospitals across Illinois.

Additional resources

• Care Center for sexually abused children at Edward Hospital: (630) 527-3288
• Pathways at Swedish Hospital: (773) 878-8200 (ext. 3373 or 2242)
• Pathways at Evanston Hospital: (847) 570-2203