Community Assessment Needs

Community Assessment Methods

"Over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children" (Childhelp, 2011). Child abuse can be more than physical abuse it also can be emotional or neglect and leave the victims with lasting scars for the rest of their lives if not helped. The Wing program through Childhelp is a group of several groups that supports the programs and services. Forming a Wing program within the community through Childhelp, the advocate had to identify the strengths and resources that are already available within the community. The assessment of the community should focus on the ability of the surrounding community. Identifying services and solutions in developing such a group there has to be a solid support system for the children and their families.

Most people are not aware of the different forms of child abuse; there is not just the physical, but mental, neglect, sexual, medical and maltreatment. Every year there are studies done about the different types of child abuse over the last 10 years these are the results of the studies according to Childhelp.org (2011): "child abuse claim is made every ten seconds, more than five children die every day as a result of child abuse, approximately 80% of children that die from abuse are under the age of 4, an estimated 50-60% of child fatalities due to maltreatment are not recorded as such on death certificates, more than 90% of juvenile sexual abuse victims know their perpetrator in some way, child abuse occurs at every socioeconomic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and at all levels of education, 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children, 80% of 21-year-olds that were abused as children met criteria for at least one psychological disorder, estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States for 2007 is $104 billion".

References

Childhelp (2011). Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse. Retrieved from http://www.childhelp.org/ .