The average family we serve has 20 risk factors for child abuse and neglect including:
| 4 |
Poverty |
| 4 |
Unemployment |
| 4 |
Domestic Violence |
| 4 |
Lack of Stable Housing |
| 4 |
Susbstance Abuse |
| 4 |
Isolation |
| 4 |
Mental Health Issues |
| 4 |
Lack of Medical Care |
| 4 |
Family history of abuse |
These factors combine to place a high percentage of families under multiple stresses and young children at serious risk of abuse and neglect.
The Relief Nursery model is unique in its ability to intervene quickly and effectively to prevent abuse and neglect and provide services specifically designed to keep young children safe, families together, and parents successful.
|
|
 |
| According to a recent report by The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) entitled The Status of Children in Oregon's Child Protection System. |
| « |
More than 12,000 Oregon children within Oregon's child welfare system were confirmed victims of abuse and neglect in 2006, a 7% increase from 2005 and the highest number in a decade. |
| « |
The report states, "It’s important to keep in mind that the information in this report does not tell the entire story. This report focuses on the child welfare system, not on Oregon’s system of supports for children and families before they become known to child welfare. |
| « |
"Fortunately, new initiatives targeted to improving the safety and stability of all Oregon’s children and families are moving forward in Oregon. These include Crisis Relief nurseries and expanding access to the nine
existing nurseries serving children and families identified as being at high-risk of
abuse or neglect. |
Additional information about child abuse and neglect in Oregon can be found at the
Oregon Department of Human Services. |
|
MountainStar Family Relief Nursery is the only program in Deschutes County that provides comprehensive child abuse and neglect prevention services to families with young children. While a number of local programs work with children under 5 years of age, none is dedicated solely to child abuse prevention and none provides ongoing services to families and children that we do. MountainStar Family occupies a critical and unduplicated niche in our community’s system of care. Demand for our services currently exceeds our capacity and our waiting list of eligible children keeps growing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Read our Fact Sheet
