Mountain Brook police Chief Jaye Loggins, left, and Debra Schneider, executive director of Children’s Hospital Intervention and Prevention Services, or CHIPS Center, at Children’s of Alabama with anti-abuse decal.By Anne Ruisi
Mountain Brook police vehicles are sporting new decals to let children suffering abuse know that police officers are safe people to go to when they need help.
“So many kids are taught to think they should be afraid of the police. We want children to understand they can go to them for help,” said Debra Schneider, executive director of Children’s Hospital Intervention and Prevention Services, or CHIPS Center, at Children’s of Alabama.
Attaching the decals to the rear of every police vehicle started this month, as April is Child Abuse Awareness Month, Schneider and Mountain Brook police Chief Jaye Loggins said.
“It’s bringing attention to it,” Loggins said. “Any program we can use to assist us in prosecuting those who hurt our children is a valuable asset.”
Child abuse in Alabama is defined as when a child under the age of 18 is intentionally harmed or neglected. There are four types of child abuse, including physical, sexual, emotional and neglect.
It’s a problem that cuts across every socio-economic class and usually it’s from someone a child knows, Schneider said.
The idea is to help children identify trusted, safe adults they can turn to for help, such as a school resource officer.
“We’re trying to promote positivity and the police as a great resource for protection,” she said.
The CHIPS Center promotes hope, healing, intervention and prevention of child abuse, according to its website, childrensal.org. The center serves children, families and communities affected by child maltreatment, regardless of ability to pay for the services.
“Our whole mantra is hope and healing,” Schneider said.
Since 1995, the center has served as an outpatient clinic for children who have experienced suspected abuse and the families that have been affected by suspected abuse. The CHIPS staff is a team of licensed professional counselors, doctors, licensed social workers and sexual assault nurse examiners.
CHIPS also provides forensic medical evaluations, social work support services, counseling services and prevention education services. The staff works with law enforcement, the state Department of Human Resources and child advocacy representatives.
Assessing the Situation
When abuse is suspected in a child, a medical examination is sometimes necessary to evaluate and document the health of the child’s body, the CHIPS website said. At CHIPS, these examinations are conducted in a safe and nurturing environment designed to promote health and healing, according to the website.
A nurse spends time with each child explaining the check-up and discussing any concerns, and the nurse meets with the child’s caregivers to gather information, answer questions and provide a follow-up plan after the exam with the doctor present. Under no circumstances is any child ever forced to undergo an examination.
A CHIPS licensed social worker is available to meet with caregivers to assess the family’s needs, identify resources, make referrals and provide ongoing support services as necessary. That includes free counseling for children and their families.
There’s also preventive education for all ages, which can include presentations to people and organizations in the community, and group or individual sessions at the CHIPS Center. At Mountain Brook Junior High and many other schools in the Over the Mountain area, students are being taught sexual abuse prevention by members of the CHIPS team.
“A lot of parents think it’s sex education, but it’s not,” Schneider said, adding that awareness of the issue helps students learn safety, just like they would learn about fire safety. “We don’t go in there with scare tactics. We tell them they do not have to face challenges alone and that they can lean on safe grownups for help and guidance.”
Mountain Brook police through its Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 78 and the CHIPS Center have partnered on other projects, such as helping CHIPS provide Warmies to children. Children who undergo a suspected child abuse medical exam or have to appear in court can pick one of the microwaveable plush toy animals to comfort them during the procedure, Schneider said.
For more information about CHIPS and child abuse, call the center at 205-638-2751 or go to childrensal.org/services/chips-center.
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