Lake Country CASA Focuses on Supporting Families during National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Lake Country CASA is raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of abuse and neglect and what we as a community can do about it. In 2025, Lake Country CASA served 83 local children in the foster care system through volunteer advocacy. Advocates’ first priority is to keep families together whenever safe and possible. They do so by connecting with everyone involved in the child’s life, such as parents, teachers, therapists, relatives, caseworkers, etc., to develop a realistic picture of the child’s unique situation and build a network of support around them and the family. They also make recommendations to the judge overseeing the child’s case, with the goal of ensuring that the child is safe and the family has the resources, support, and healthy relationships needed to heal. If reunification with family is not achieved, CASA works to ensure the child finds lasting permanency while remaining as connected to their family as is healthy and safe.
Some children can’t or won’t cry or ask for help when they need it – even if their lives may be in danger. Thousands of children who suffer abuse and neglect are too young, terrified, or simply confused to tell anyone about it. Their suffering may go unnoticed for years, permanently damaging their health and development – or worse.
You can spot symptoms of abuse and neglect if you know what to look for. A parent’s, caregiver’s, or child’s appearance and behavior may be a sign. If you think someone is hurting or mistreating a child, you must act. There are four types of abuse that Texas has both civil and criminal laws against. If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, the law requires that you report it. Here are some warning signs to look for taken from dfps.texas.gov:
Physical Abuse
Physical Abuse is physical injury that results in substantial harm to the child, or the genuine threat of substantial harm from physical injury to the child. The physical injury (ranging from minor bruises to severe fractures or death) can result from punching, beating, shaking, kicking, biting, throwing, stabbing, hitting, burning, choking, or otherwise harming a child. Such injury is considered abuse regardless of whether the caretaker intended to hurt the child.
Suspect Physical Abuse When You See:
- Frequent injuries such as bruises, cuts, black eyes, or burns without adequate explanations
- Frequent complaints of pain without obvious injury
- Burns or bruises in unusual patterns that may indicate the use of an instrument or human bite; cigarette burns on any part of the body
- Lack of reaction to pain
- Extreme fear of going home or seeing parents
- Injuries that appear after a child has not been seen for several days
- Unreasonable clothing that may hide injuries to arms or legs
Neglect
Neglect is failure to provide for a child’s basic needs necessary to sustain the life or health of the child, excluding failure caused primarily by financial inability unless relief services have been offered and refused.
Suspect Neglect When You See:
- Obvious malnourishment
- Consistent concern for lack of personal hygiene that poses a health risk
- Stealing or begging for food
- Child unattended for long periods of time
- Unaddressed need for dental care or other medical attention
Sexual Abuse includes fondling a child’s genitals, penetration, incest, rape, sodomy, indecent exposure, and exploitation through prostitution or producing pornographic materials.
Suspect Sexual Abuse When You See:
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Sexual victimization of other children
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Knowledge of sexual relations beyond what is expected for a child’s age
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Physical signs of sexually transmitted diseases
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Evidence of injury to the genital area
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Pregnancy in a young girl
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Difficulty in sitting or walking
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Extreme fear of being alone with adults of a certain sex
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Sexual comments, behaviors, or play beyond what is considered age-appropriate behavior
Emotional Abuse is mental or emotional injury that results in an observable and material impairment in a child’s growth, development, or psychological functioning. It includes extreme forms of punishment such as confining a child in a dark closet, habitual scapegoating, belittling, and rejecting treatment for a child.
Suspect Emotional Abuse When You See:
- Over compliance or low self-esteem caused by scapegoating or verbal abuse by caregivers
- Severe depression, anxiety, or aggression
- Lagging in physical, emotional, and intellectual development
- Caregiver who belittles the child, withholds love, and seems unconcerned about the child’s problems
- Significant changes to behavior, such as withdrawal or over-aggression
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Significant changes to weight, such as substantial weight gain or weight loss.
To report to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), call the 24-hour, toll-free abuse hotline at 1-800-252-5400 from anywhere in the United States to report abuse or neglect that happened in Texas. You may also call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477). This service allows you to remain 100% anonymous and is available 24/7. The important thing is to call and report what you suspect. Investigators then work to rule out or to alleviate the concerns.
“Lake Country CASA always hopes for the day when CASA, foster care, and a national month dedicated to child abuse prevention are no longer needed because all children are growing up safe, secure, and supported with their families,” says Executive Director Amy Glenn. Until then, their work continues and so can yours. Remember to always report and count on trained investigators to ensure or provide safety when needed. And visit https://lakecountrycasa.org/ for more information on CASA’s mission and other ways to support our most vulnerable.
References
Dfps.texas.gov. (2026, March 11). When and How to Report Child Abuse. https://www.dfps.texas.gov/Child_Protection/Child_Safety/report_abuse.asp
