Rapp sees spike in child abuse, neglect cases
COVID-19 lockdown ‘likely a factor’
Reports of child abuse or neglect in Rappahannock County have spiked this month.
Through Memorial Day weekend, 11 reports were called into the Rappahannock Department of Social Services (DSS) — about three times the typical number for a month. Eight occurred in the two weeks prior to Memorial Day, including three during a two-hour period on Monday, May 11.
DSS Director Jennifer Parker said that while the jump in cases is not solely an e ect of the COVID-19
lockdown, she thinks it’s likely a factor.
“As long as I’ve been in Rappahannock these things have come in a wave,” she said. “But de nitely, with all the stress parents have right now, that’s part of it. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a parent now, with young children home full time and the nancial stress and all the responsibilities they’re taking on.
“In the past they may have been dealing with their kids a few hours in the evening,” Parker added. “Now, they’re full time parents, full time teachers.”
That can intensify strains within families, particularly in cases where parenting skills are lacking or where there’s substance abuse.
Two of the calls that came in during the two-week period before Memorial Day were determined to be invalid, but it’s notable that ve of the other six were considered serious enough to merit an investigation. The other one resulted in what’s known as an assessment, in which DSS focuses on gathering information and seeing what a family might need to improve the situation at home.
All of the cases involved younger children, with the exception of one 13-year-old. In one case, ve children were removed from a home. Three are now staying with a relative; the other two are living with a foster family. All are still in Rappahannock County.
One positive, Parker noted, is that there now are eight families in the county that have completed foster care training, although two are available for only emergency temporary placement. All of those families completed their training last year in response to a crisis situation where only one quali ed foster family was available in the county.
Parker said that two more families have expressed interest in the training, but that will have to wait until the state’s lockdown restrictions ease more.
Despite the social distancing requirements, Janice McCracken, a DSS family services specialist, still goes out to homes to do investigations, albeit wearing full personal protective equipment. She also rst asks the parents a list of questions to determine their level of potential exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
But the lockdown has limited DSS’ follow-up capabilities, Parker said.
“It’s harder to get services to families,” she said. “There aren’t parenting classes now. They’ve been suspended. We can’t have a parent mentor go into a home and work one-one-one with the parents. We can’t have someone go into a home to observe how the parents interact with a child. That part of the process has really slowed down.”
Still, she said relatives or others who suspect a child is being abused or neglected shouldn’t hesitate to report it to DSS.
“Maybe a child who’s always been bright and positive is now withdrawn or anxious,” she said. “Those could be signs that things are not good at home. Or, maybe a child discloses something to you.
“If you suspect something is occurring with a child, let us make the determination whether or not it’s valid. I always tell people that it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
The child abuse/neglect hotline is 1-800-552-7096. The adult abuse/neglect hotline is 1-888-832-3858.