With classrooms empty, fewer people are watching for signs of child abuse

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article included an incorrect phone number for the child-abuse hotline, as well as an incorrect percentage of calls to the hotline that merit investigation.

With school classrooms empty, calls to the state child-abuse hotline have dropped.

But that doesn't mean kids are less at risk, child-welfare advocates say. Arizona's stay-at-home order increases the likelihood of neglect or abuse, both because of the stress it puts on families and because it limits who sees the children.

To raise awareness of this, a group of friends who have worked in child welfare has produced a series of messages and posters on how to look for and report signs of abuse. It coincides with the start of April as child abuse prevention month.

“I just know from experience in the system that isolation is a main tactic for people who are perpetrating abuse on anybody, especially the young ones," said Stacy Reinstein, a former administrator at Child Protective Services, the precursor to today's Department of Child Safety.

"Lay citizens typically don't think about calling," she said, referring to the state child-abuse hotline. The number is 888-SOS-CHILD (888-767-2445).

The message from this grassroots group is a mix of compassion and suspicion. They provide ideas on how to get help to families that are showing signs of distress, as well as tips on behaviors that might point to abuse and require a call to the hotline.

“It is important that we don’t make this a poverty issue," Reinstein said. "Some families are not able to provide three meals a day for their children.”

In cases such as this, their newly launched Connecting Arizona campaign directs people to tap community resources through such services as 211arizona.org.

But with mandatory reporters of child abuse, such as teachers, no longer in a situation where they have personal daily contact with students, it's more important that others keep their eyes open for abuse, this group says.

DCS reports that calls to its child-abuse hotline declined as soon as the schools closed March 15. During that week, the daily average of 600 calls declined by 200.

"It was comparable to summer vacation or Christmas break," said agency spokesman Darren DaRonco.

Unlike those breaks in the school year, uncertainty over the new coronavirus makes it unclear how long the hiatus will continue. Schools are closed through the end of the current academic year; there's no indication of what will happen come August when most schools resume.

Because of what may be a prolonged period for children with fewer eyes on them, the campaign advises community vigilance.

"We know that when stress goes up, child abuse and neglect go up," said Claire Louge, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona.

Stay-at-home orders reduce social interactions that can counteract stress, she said.

Her organization is offering free weekly webinars throughout the month on topics such as creating a strong attachment with your child and understanding trauma and stress. Louge said the first session drew 370 participants.

The goal is to help people cope with their stress, not to punish them.

"The last resort is taking your children," she said.

DCS urges anyone who suspects child abuse to report it. That doesn't mean the kids get taken away, Reinstein said.

The people who field calls to the hotline are trained to recognize safety concerns, Reinstein said. People should trust them to weed out serious complaints from more-frivolous concerns, just as they trust those who screen calls to 911.

DCS statistics show that of the thousands of calls to the hotline every month, 57%  merit investigation.

Not every investigation results in a child being removed from his home. DCS does not report on its website the percentage that require removal. For the last six months of 2019, DCS removed 4,950 kids, the agency's semi-annual report shows.

The campaign is contacting places where children are likely to be seen during this period of limited circulation: grocery stores, food banks, medical offices and delivery services.

They're also launching a social media campaign through human-service and community groups to reach as many people as possible, Reinstein said.

“We want to make sure that as we are preventing the spread of coronavirus, we are allowing the spread of kindness," Reinstein said.

About this report

Reporting on child-welfare issues is made possible through a grant from the Arizona Community Foundation.

For more news on topics related to child welfare and the state of children in Arizona, subscribe to The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com.

Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.