Danny Lynchard's Kevo

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=040723_Ne_A1_Child29815

Doing Something About Crime: Child abuse: no tiny tragedy

JOHN CLANTON / Tulsa World
Deborah Beeks (left) and her daughters Saporia (center) and DeeDee (right), and other family members of Rosa Jefferson-Whiten react during the funeral for the 2-month-old infant at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Broken Arrow on Wednesday.

By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
7/23/2004

Editor's note: During July, the Tulsa World is focusing on what people -- in Tulsa and elsewhere -- are doing to address violent crime. Today's story looks at preventing child abuse and neglect.

Rosa Jefferson-Whiten's casket was so small and light that it was carried to her grave by one woman.

Her 2-month-old bruised, beaten and broken body was buried Wednesday, surrounded by the flowers and teddy bears sent by strangers.

The police chaplain spoke about the responsibility of caring for God's children and praised the people who worked to save her young life.

Her parents were not there. They were in jail charged with causing her death.

The sorrow of the pain Rosa endured was reflected in the moaning cries of a relative.

And those who tried to save her -- the police, social work ers and nurses -- prayed for this to be the last such funeral they would have to attend.

"God trusts us with His children," Danny Lynchard said. "Not just parents, not just grandparents, not just cousins. He entrusts all of us with them.

"When that trust was betrayed for Rosa, the trust was placed at the hands of others . . . You showed her in those last days how that trust and love was supposed to be honored. And you've done that nobly."

By the numbers: Rosa is the first child in Tulsa County this year to die from alleged abuse.

Working to prevent child abuse has become the job of a cross-section of agencies and public servants.

Even though the statistics on child-abuse deaths and confirmed cases show a significant decline in recent years, DHS officials say the numbers are not an accurate reflection.

Ester Rider Salem, child protective services programs manager for the state Department of Human Services, said the agency has been using new classification standards.

In 1999 and 2000, Tulsa had nine children die each of those years from abuse and neglect. That number fell to five in 2001 and three in 2002.

Last year, at least two children in Tulsa County died from abuse and neglect, according to DHS and Tulsa police.

"We've got a long way to go," Rider Salem said. "Prevention programs are absolutely essential. I wish we didn't have to do this job. The prevention programs out there now are targeted at families where if there were not intervention, they will end up in protective services."

The number of confirmed cases of child abuse in Tulsa County has consistently decreased from 2,319 in 1998 to 1,213 in 2003, according to DHS.

Oklahoma cases of confirmed abuse and neglect have decreased from 16,710 in 1998 to 12,971 last year.

"Neglect is still the highest killer of children -- guns, leaving a child alone in a bathtub, lack of supervision," said Rider-Salem.

A caregiver can change behavior before abuse occurs, said Jaime Vogt, forensic investigator with the Child Abuse Network.

"If you have people willing to look at themselves after it's been brought to their attention they might have been out of control, it can sometimes be a wake-up call and make a difference in families," Vogt said.

"But families have to be willing to invest time and sometimes have funds to get help. That is why we need more programs for low-income families."

Risk factors: Money problems are among the risk factors for abusive caregivers.

"Families get overwhelmed by financial pressure, their jobs, keeping food on the table and counseling is not at the top of that list," Vogt said.

Vogt said parents need to talk about abuse so children can protect themselves and their friends.

"There is no substitute for education," Vogt said. "Education is the best prevention. The more you talk about, the more education is out there, the more people will respond."

In Tulsa, Family and Children's Services offers a prevention program for child abuse, which is comprised of sexual and physical abuse.

Trauma specialist Roy Van Tassell said the program started as a sexual abuse treatment program about 20 years ago but has evolved to address prevention and physical abuse.

Many children in the prevention program were referred by DHS or another agency because of risk factors.

For children who have been abused, there is another program with a counseling component. The prevention curriculum includes specific information such as where to go for help and how to react when a person makes you feel uncomfortable.

For older children, self-esteem and values are discussed.

Parents needs to talk about issues of abuse with children as they age, said Van Tassell.

As children reach junior high and high school, parents can take opportunities such as a sleepover to talk about choices and appropriate behavior.

"Children need to have the information repeated to them at different developmental levels," said Van Tassell.

A prevention program for non-offending parents also is offered by the agency.

Spanking and abuse: Oklahoma allows parents to spank children. But the gray area is when that becomes abuse.

In general, abuse is considered when marks are left on children's skin. But some parents justify their actions by saying that was the discipline of choice by their parents.

"In the parents group, other parents will speak up about that and confront them on that type of thinking," said VanTassell. "They say it might have been discipline before, but at what point did this cross the line."

VanTassell said the course explains different options to spanking.

Family and Children's Services employees have taken the program into community groups such as churches and schools. The agency also consults with groups creating prevention programs and can offer individual caregivers advice on appropriate books or ways to discuss the topic with children.

The medical community has become a force in preventing child abuse by giving information to patients and having a more watchful eye for abuse symptoms. Hospitals routinely give new parents information on shaken baby syndrome and tips on handling a crying baby.

St. John Medical Center has a partnership with the Parent Child Center to show a video on shaken baby syndrome to new mothers. The hospital has a policy for all parents with children in the neonatal intensive care unit to take a CPR course, which includes the video.

As people from these different agencies and strangers gathered for Rosa's funeral, they heard words of comfort. They heard that her body can no longer feel pain, that they restored her trust, that she is surrounded by love, that she is dancing and singing in Heaven.

In the final prayer for "little Rosa," the chaplain said to remember her in their prevention work.

"Leave here today and go back to the community as God gives us the power to never have another day like you have had today," Lynchard said.

Ginnie Graham 581-8376
ginnie.graham@tulsaworld.com

Warning signs:
Nervousness around adults
Aggression toward adults or other children
Inability to stay awake or concentrate for extended periods
Sudden dramatic changes in personality or activities
Unnatural interest in sex
Frequent or unexplained bruises or injuries
Low self-esteem
Poor hygiene