Newspaper Page Text
10-A
The Summerville News, Thursday, September 24, 1987
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT
CONFIRMED CASES
50
48
46
o 4
g 42
E 40
< 38
el
O 34
TR
g 30
> 28
Z
26
24
22
JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUN. Ut AUG
CHATTOOGA COUNTY
CHILD PROTECTIVE REFERRALS
30
29
28
27
26
@ 25
< 24
S n
w 22
= 2
@ 20
w 19
2 18
7
o 16
s 15
14
Z 13
12
11
10
JAN. FEB. WMAR. APAR. MAY JUN. L Al
Chattooga Child Abuse Increases
from front page
for having the highest schooi
dropout rate in Georgia.
%he percentage of physical
and sexual abuse cases seems
to remain at about 22 percent
of the total although the actual
numbers are up, according to
the DFCS figures. The re
mainder involved neglect. A
total of 19 physical abuse and
16 sexual abuse cases was in
vestigated in the county last
year, compared witK 27
physical abuse and 10 sexual
abuse cases through August of
this year.
DRAMATIC
The number of Child Pro
mushrooms
% """:-.} i R,
< Walking
T On
Air"’
:{J”—
2%
Taupe Tiey 52
e A
Khaki #,7933‘3‘7"?" 4
Black M
ONE TABLE MEN'S
e Assorted
Styles o 0
e Not All Sizes
Available Pr.
IR I
| PENNVILLE PHONE 857 1824 l
tective Services (CPS) cases be
ing carried in the files of the
Chattooga DFCS jumped
dramatically from 24 in July to
44 in August, according to
David Tidmore, senior
casework supervisor for DFCS.
While referrals mean only
that the DFCS has in
vestigated an abuse report to
determine if it has any validi
ty, the number of CPS cases on
the books is a reflection of con
firmed cases, he said.
The Chattooga department
is averaging 31.3 cases per
month so far this year, com
pared with an average of 27.5
cases for all of 1986.
However, the number of
children placed in foster homes
in the county has dipped from
an average of 33.8 per month
last year to 28.1 per month this
year, he said. The average
number of foster homes in use
has also fallen from 17 per
month in 1986 to 14 per month
this year, according to DFCS
records
PUZZLED
Tidmore indicated that
DFCS officials are somewhat
puzzled by the dramatic in
crease in cii]d abuse since the
county's economy was worse in
1986 than so far this year. The
unemployment rate last year
was consistently in double
figures while the most recent
rate was only 5.3 percent.
The number of food stamp
cases carried in DFCS files has
also been steadily declining
since January when slightly
more than 960 cases were on
the books to about 855 at the
end of July, Tidmore said.
Most child welfare experts
have contended that abuse
tends to increase as an
economy worsens and im
proves when the economy gets
better.
“GOOD NEWS"”
The “good news' is that
Chattooga County has one of
the lowest repeat rates in the
state. About 30 percent of the
children abused in Georgia are
abused again within two years,
Tidmore said. But in Chat
FREE FIREPLACE
WITH EVERY HOME SOLD
IN SEPTEMBER
f‘} \:,a: {."»- ’
el Wel e B
] bt e _",;,!c:x:, /
I e M 2
CERENNNRY . g
S R, P
§IEg AL e A
xR e
C UL At
7 6}s'
SMITH DEVELOPMENT W 7,
NOBODY BUILDS’EM BETTER! A
@ 9% APR Financing =
@ No Closing Cost 5
0 Built on your property %
bklo ®
No Down Payment y
2 locations: (615) 870-9073
(Out-of-Town - Call Collect)
Walnut Square Mall, 739 Ashland Terrace
Dalton, Ga. Chattanooga, TN. 37415
Walnut Square Mall
Dalton, Ga.
OR PHONE 857-3652
CHATTOOGA COUNTY
' FOOD STAMP CASES
970
960
950
940
@ 930
2 920
)
=, 910
<
= 900
O
F 890
880
870
860
850
JAN. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUN. JUL. AUG. SEP. OCT. NOV. DEC
CHATTOOGA COUNTY
FOOD STAMP EXPENDITURES
97
9
95
94
93
92
o 91
Q 90
<2( 89
o 88
8 87
T 86
= g 5
84
83
82
81
80
89 MBRSEY (S
JAN FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUN.
tooga, that rate is only five
percent.
Most of the abused children
in Chattooga are between 4 and
10 years of age, he estimated
Tidmore said the Georgia
General Assemby last year ap
proved legislation tacking ad
ditional fees onto marriage
licenses and divorce case filing
to finance a child abuse preven
tion fund. But a Superior Court
judge has ruled the law un-,
constitutional since it
originated in the Georgia
Senate instead of the House.
The Georgia constitution pro
vides that all revenue measures
must originate in the House.
RESURRECT
All the legislature has to do
to resurrect the program is to
originate the bill in the House
next year, Tidmore said.
That measure would set up
a Parents Anonymous pro
gram and help %linance %ig
Brother-Big Sister programs.
Plus, each county or communi
ty could develop its own unique
child abuse prevention pro
gram and seek funding, he
added.
Problems faced by Chat
tooga and other counties in
cludes a breakdown of the
family. a lack of family support
and alcohol and drug-related
abuse cases, Tidmore said.
Many parents also lack
parenting skills, he said,
especially teen-agers who may
have had to get married. The
Issue of teen-age pregnancy is
one that must be dealt with
more effectively as part of
overall efforts to reduce child
abuse, Tidmore said
IMMEDIATE
In the meantime, the Chat
tooga DFCS is attempting to
investigate all abuse referrals
immediately and assess con
tinued risks to a child and
whether there is a need for
foster care, Tidmore said.
Every effort is made to keep
families together, a process
that seems to be working. con
sidering the county's low
“repeat’ rate, the DFCS of
ficial said.
The debate continues to
rage over whether more cases
are being reported than in the
f)ast or whether there is actual
y more abuse of children tak
ing place, Tidmore said. His
“gut feeling” is that significant
abuse has always existed in the
community but that it is being
reported more now than in past
years or decades.
Many awareness programs,
including the nationally pro
moted, “‘lt's OK To Telf']' ro
ject, have been presente(r to
children throughout the coun
ty by DFCS and other groups,
he said.
LESS SEVERE
Abuse cases of the last cou
ple of years in Chattooga have
generally been less severe than
cases in some past years, he
said, but more cases are being
reported and investigated.
Tidmore also encouraged
Chattooga residents to con
tinue reporting suspected cases
of abuse to the DFES or to law
enforcement authorities.
“We'll investigate im
mediately and take whatever
action is required to protect a
child who has been a victim of
abuse,” Tidmore said.
He and Mrs. Amalene
Elrod attended a recent Action
for Child Protection (ACP)
study program in Atlanta dur
ing a combined two-week
period learning more about the
problem and how to best deal
with child abuse, Tidmore said.
PHILOSOPHY
The current philosophy of
child protection programs is to
work with families and to keep
children at home whenever
possible. However, Tidmore
said, if there is any question
that a child might continue to
be abused in any way if left
with the family, the youngster
is immediately placed in foster
care.
Neglect, the biggest pro
blem in abuse cases, invorves
parental failure to Trovide pro
er medical care, clothing and
?ood. Many neglect problems
involve low socio-economic and
educational levels of a family,
Tidmore said earlier this year.
Sometimes parents just need
help in finding proper clothing
for their children and some are
not aware of the availability of
indigent medical care. food
stamps and other help from the
I)l'(‘g he said
A class of destitute people
exists that the middle class
doesn’t know about,” Tidmore
said last spring.
SYMPTOMS
In most cases, children who
are neglected will exhibit one or
more symptoms outside the
home. They include falling
asleep in school, poor learning,
chronic hunger or tiredness,
failure to grow at a normal
rate, poor school attendance or
chronic lateness, begging or
collecting leftovers or stealing
other children’s lunches. com
ing to school early and staying
late, dull, apathetic ap
pearance, squinting, usin
drugs or alg)hol‘ \il\(lulisufi
and sexual misconduct.
PARENTS
Social workers said neglect
ful parents are sometimes
apatgetic themselves or they
crave excitement, want to be
rid of the demands of the child
and exhibit little or no interest
in the child's activities or in
terests. Thev don't accept the
dependency of the child, they
said.
Teachers, nurses, day care
personnel and other health pro
fessionals must report any case
of suspected chifd abuse by
law, Tidmore pointed out. They
are protected from civil
lawsuits by parents who ma
feel they have been wronge({
he added.
MIKE
RENTS
WASHERS
Shamblin Hardware
o -y ARRI
Train to be a .
TRAVEL AGENT
TOUR GUIDE
YW S AT R (0] )
Start locally, full time/part time
Train on live airline computers
Home study and resident train
ing. Financial aid available. Na
tional Hdgtrs. Lighthouse Pt.
L
A.C.T. TRAVEL SCHOOL
LR PR L
" 4 I”' . o .
L
N¥ i T
' } , ¥ I}- ~;('t//', 'J!
s e il (ARE DA .
G | GV IRY
M- o L R g N X
- " fl;#;‘* ’ ,t“ s&4 § r
o 3 § X y &
&5, AR
_.. i &
" & L
Bl WG v
e ! ‘; -
o | “‘ -"; .:QA‘ ‘;o
R‘s 3 - [ 4
X R 3 ‘g
P"& & >
' ‘.' '-4 b 4 ' a B
AN TS S ' P N
" ' H ‘
o h ek .
\ : Ay NI ;
Dangerous Work
A bulldozer owned by Headrick Construction Co. is
shown pushing dirt off the edge of the eroded chert pit
in west Summerville Monday. The chert was to be us
ed to ‘)m\ ide a bus ramp at Chattooga County High
School. The City of Summerville had asked Commis
sioner Harry Powell for use of a county bulldozer for
the work but was refused. The city agreed to pay
Headrick about $1,500 for the work. (Staff Photo).
NV | (- Wy
m\\b e
,A‘;\:‘ 4 ©
" reyNSWICK
; ";\E W
1Y
«‘\
BENNY’S
®
Brunswick Stew
° 9
Cookin
®
Friday, Sept. 25
(Available Lunch Time Friday)
And
Hickory Smoked
Barbecued Pork
Sold By The Pound Or Sandwich
0 A ST SR
°
Fountain Drinks
e Quart
v Coke » Sprite
v Dr Pepper
v Diet Coke 490
v Mello Yellow
AN
Enjoy ‘M . |
At Home .. . UVIBS.
3 v Great Selection
v 24 Hour Rental
SR (o
é“‘ Onl ¢
’.{* ¥ ”'f =
\
Benny’s
Tri-Sum Foods
Phone 734-3201