Summer should be a carefree time for all of Louisiana’s children. It will take all of us working together to make it so. With the inflow of drugs like fentanyl and the additional economic pressures facing families, they need the support of their neighbors and community to stave off the inevitable crises and conditions that threaten their well-being and put them at risk of not being fully capable of protecting their children, a parent’s most basic responsibility.
At Louisiana’s Department of Children and Family Services, we’re working with Gov. John Bel Edwards and the Legislature to increase the resources available to protect and support children and align those resources to maximize impact. We’re making progress but I also know this important work cannot rest with a single agency, organization, or person.
In Louisiana, a place where the bonds of family and friends are a big part of our culture, we’ve long understood that few good things are ever accomplished alone. That sense of connection was challenged by the isolation imposed by a global pandemic, but we’re now blessed by the opportunity to strengthen a broad culture of care for our children.
It needs to be a community effort, which is why DCFS is expanding My Community Cares, an initiative started by the Pelican Center for Children and Families. The initiative, which started as a pilot program, is now growing to nine parishes with the greatest risk of child abuse or neglect or children entering foster care. Because child abuse and neglect can stem from many factors, My Community Cares helps marshal an array of resources, neighbors, and nonprofit and faith-based partners across towns, cities and parishes to empower families and build safer, brighter lives for Louisiana’s children.
Residents can call 211 for information about a variety of benefits and resources available for children and families.
Beyond the good work underway by Louisiana’s government agencies and nonprofits on behalf of children, there are things everyone can do, too, to help prevent child abuse and neglect. The great news of National Child Abuse Prevention Month is that even seemingly small things can make a difference.
Actions as small as checking on your neighbors, helping with child care, helping defray expenses for summer camp, picking a child up from school, cooking a meal, helping someone call 211 for assistance or offering them a ride to work can have meaningful impacts in promoting the well-being of children in each household.
Even those of us who don’t have children at home know how vital it is that the youngest members of our communities are nurtured, loved, and empowered to meet their full promise.
Helping our children to be their best is the only way for Louisiana to be its best.
Helping Louisiana’s children grow into happy, productive citizens is the most important job for all of us to embrace.
Terri Ricks is secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services.
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