Child Abuse and Neglect

You Care So Be Aware -
Child Safety Resources

Baltimore County Online Resources

Do you know a child who is being abused or neglected? Protective Services for Children provides a variety of services to families to insure the safety and well being of children and to assure the minimum essentials of care. Goals of the service are to protect children from further abuse and neglect, provide an alternative plan in order to achieve at least minimum child care standards when parents are unable to do so, keep the family together, if possible and assist the family members to function responsibly.
Baltimore County Police Department - Information Desk provides general non-emergency information and provides referrals to the proper division of the police department for services. Call 410-887-2214 for general information or call the Baltimore County Domestic Violence Hotline for emergencies, 410-828-6390.
Baltimore County State's Attorney Office, Child Abuse and Sex Offense Division Reviews, investigates, formally charges, and prosecutes felony offenses including sex offenses with adults as victims, sexual child abuse, and physical child abuse.
Looking for recent statistics PDF on child abuse & neglect in the US? The latest figures are available from this document.
What should you know about child abuse and neglect? Prevent Child Abuse America PDF provides information on the types of abuse and prevention tips.
The first step in helping abused children is learning how to recognize symptoms of child abuse. Prevent Child Abuse America PDF provides tips that every parent should know to recognize child abuse.
Child abuse occurs in many forms, emotional child abuse is one example of abuse. Prevent Child Abuse America PDF can help you to learn more about what emotional child abuse is and how to prevent it.
In Baltimore County, there are many community organizations with trained staff to answer questions and help find the information needed to make informed decisions. Connections: Children, Youth and Family Resources Directory is a listing of those organizations that work with children, youth and their families. Resources include information on domestic violence, emotional well being, physical well being, rape, and runaways. Connections has been designed to help you make a direct connection with the organization that can provide the most appropriate services for you.
Help prevent sexual child abuse, learn the facts from Prevent Child Abuse Maryland
What do you do if a child discloses abuse to you? Prevent Child Abuse Maryland provides tips that can help you help an abused child.
Prevent Child Abuse America PDF provides the facts on child sexual abuse, what it is and how to prevent it.
How common is abuse among young boys? Prevent Child Abuse America PDF provides the facts to help learn about potential victims and perpetrators.
The Baltimore County Police Department provides facts about child abuse, what signs to look for, and how to prevent abuse.
The Counseling Unit is the outreach and prevention branch of the Youth and Community Resources Section of the Baltimore County Police Department. They are a staff of skilled counselors who work with young people and their families with the goal of preventing crime and fostering positive interpersonal relationships and life skills.
Looking for telephone numbers and websites that help prevent child abuse? Prevent Child Abuse America PDF provides hotlines and websites for associations, parent resources, and medical resources.
There is something you should know about family violence you are not alone! Find help for you or someone you know from The Baltimore County Domestic Violence Coordinating Committee.
Just for kids! What can you do about child abuse? The Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks provides some tips and telephone numbers to help you.

Online Resources Outside Baltimore County

Want to know how you can help prevent child abuse and neglect before it starts? Prevent Child Abuse America provides education to everyone involved in the effort to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children.
RadKids (Resist Aggression Defensively) is a personal safety and life skills educational program filled with hope, options, and realistic and empowering choices to escape violence. Their mission is to provide all children with the choices and practical skills they need to escape violence and or harm including: abduction, bullying, abuse, or sexual assault.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice provides a variety of online publications on child protection.
KidsHealth provides parents, kids, and teens information about mental and physical health and covers many topics on general child safety.
Turnaround Provides support, counseling & information to victims of sexual assault, incest, & domestic violence, regardless of sex or age. Counseling by appointment. Hotline: 410-828-6390, available 24 hours a day.
http://www.netsmartz.org/ is an online resource for kids, teens, parents, and educators. It provides information about Internet safety and the risks children face online.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Crimes Against Children (CAC) Program provides a quick and effective response to all incidences of crimes against children. The CAC Program strategy is to decrease the vulnerability of children to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse; develop a nationwide capacity to provide a rapid, effective, and measured investigative response to crimes involving the victimization of children; and enhance the capabilities of state and local law enforcement investigators through training programs, investigative assistance, and task force operations.
Talking With Kids About Tough Issues is a national initiative to encourage parents to talk with their children earlier and more often about tough issues like sex, HIV/AIDS, violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.
First Call for Help - United Way of Central Maryland Experienced staff members help callers explore their problems and inform them of the public, nonprofit and private community resources that can help with their situation. This service is free and confidential. Callers may remain anonymous. Hotline: 410-685-0525 or 800-492-0618
Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene - A confidential, toll-free 24 hour hotline for youth 24 years of age and younger. Provides crisis intervention, support, and suicide prevention. Maryland Youth Crisis Hotline 1-800-422-0009, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
First Step Youth Services Center Individual, group and family mental health counseling. Psychiatric evaluation and substance abuse counseling. Hotline: 410-421-3800
Johns Hopkins Hospital - Outpatient treatment for emotionally disturbed children and their families including evaluation, crisis intervention, therapy, individualized treatment plans, consultation, education and referral. Children's and Adolescent Mental Health Center 410-955-3598.
Sheppard Pratt Health System - Child and adolescent psychiatry, substance abuse counseling and eating disorders treatment. Also offers outpatient counseling and a day school program. Call 410-938-3000

Revised December 22, 2008