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County, towns proclaim April as child abuse and neglect prevention month

POLK COUNTY—People may notice blue pinwheels throughout the county this month. 

The pinwheels signify that April has been proclaimed as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month. 

The Polk County Board of Commissioner approved a proclamation on Monday recognizing the month. The Towns of Tryon and Columbus also approved the same proclamations during recent meetings, and the City of Saluda is scheduled to approve the proclamation on Monday. 

The proclamation includes that every child deserves to be loved, cared for, secure and safe and it is the responsibility of our communities to promote every child’s right to a safe, happy and healthy environment. 

The Polk County Department of Social Services responded to 354 reports of child abuse and neglect in 2020. 

There are free training webinars scheduled for April 8 and 20 this year. 

Polk County DSS, Children’s Home Society of North Carolina and the Polk County Community Child Protective Team are hosting the training webinars related to child abuse and neglect. 

A “Stress, Trauma, Resilience & the Brain” webinar will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 8. For more information or to sign up, people can visit 

https://www.chsnc.org/event/stress-trauma-resilience-the-brain-webinar/.

A “Building Protective Factors” webinar will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 20. Learn more or sign up for this webinar at https://www.chsnc.org/event/building-protective-factors-webinar/.

For more information about these webinars, contact Professional Trainer and Family Educator Allison Sturtevant-Gilliam, BSW at asturtevant-gilliam@chsnc.org.