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A Local Resource in the Battle Against Child Abuse

By JORDAN MOSS

Virtually everyone in the Bronx is familiar with the tragic details surrounding the death of Quachaun Browne, the 4-year-old Norwood boy who was horrifically beaten allegedly by his mother’s boyfriend.

But far fewer people are familiar with this statistic: there are 13,000 reports of abuse every year in this borough alone.

And here’s something else most folks probably don’t know: There is an important resource right here in the northwest Bronx, in Norwood, that any person who fears for the safety of their own child, or even a friend and neighbor’s child, can call on for advice or refer someone to.

The city’s Administration for Children’s Services is the government agency that must act on reports of child abuse. “But everyone is responsible for protecting children,” says Karel Amaranth, the director the J.E. and Z.B. Butler Child Advocacy Center which is a part of The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.

The 21-year-old Center’s Steuben Avenue headquarters, which is literally steps away from where Quachaun lived, is probably best known for its innovative multi-faceted approach to helping children once they are found to have been abused. It brings all the social services, medical and law enforcement personnel under one roof so that kids do not also have to suffer the indignity of being shuttled from office to office and agency to agency at the most vulnerable time in their lives.

But the Center also exists to prevent child abuse by providing counseling early on to families in trouble and parenting classes to virtually anyone who is interested in being a better parent.

“We want to see children before anyone commits a crime,” says Amaranth.

(Anyone can call the Center for an appointment and Amaranth stresses that, while insurance is accepted, those without insurance will not be charged for the Center’s services.)

She describes a typical situation where a child keeps getting sick and the mother is referred to the Center by the city, the child’s school or a community organization. In addition to counseling the parent, the child is given a full medical exam.

Children can then be referred to a specialist (for glasses, say) or to a specific program (such as an obesity clinic). “We can provide any number of medical [or] social work interventions,” Amaranth says.

Parents and caregivers, meanwhile, can also be referred to the Center’s prevention services, which are based on Reservoir Oval in what used to be the Gun Hill Jewish Center. (The structure now houses both the Center’s prevention services and also Montefiore’s School Health program.)

There’s an ongoing class for non-offending parents whose children were abused and came through Child Advocacy Center.

But another class in skills-building for parents and all types of caregivers — foster parents, grandparents, pregnant moms, etc. — is for anyone interested. That class helps people “better your ability to communicate with your children,” says social worker and class facilitator Ina Mendez, who stresses that the classes are positive in nature and are a judgment-free zone. “This is about enhancing what they already do very well, reinforcing the strengths and then adding to that.”

The next 12-week class begins in March. (See below)

Even though the Center can be a resource in many respects, and can provide advice to anyone concerned about a child’s welfare, Amaranth says people should call the state’s central register (which will notify ACS) when they suspect abuse. The more information ACS has about a child’s situation, the more able they’ll be to intervene effectively, she says. If someone isn’t sure what to do, they can call the Child Advocacy Center for advice, Amaranth adds.

Amaranth also hopes that ACS will work more closely with community resources like the Center, by making referrals in situations where a crime has not been committed. The Center’s staff is also available to make presentations at schools and community organizations.

And she reminds us that we all have a role to play in protecting children.

“It really takes a village,” Amaranth says. “We’re all responsible for all children.”

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