T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY - For the month of April, blue cutouts of children like this one at the Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA will be on display at various local businesses to serve as a reminder of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Child abuse and endangerment is more than physical, sexual, mental and verbal in nature. It can also encompass neglect, unsafe living conditions, substance abuse in the home and witnessing domestic violence. In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, advocates in the community share insights into protecting this vulnerable population.

“We really put a focus on the importance of healthy families, the importance of healthy supports for kids, and so that’s kind of been our focus over the last several years, when we promote Child Abuse Prevention Month,” said Emma Michels, who serves as director of community engagement at Child, Adolescent, and Parent Support (CAPS).

Since blue is the color associated with this awareness month, CAPS has placed blue cutouts of children all over Marshalltown to act as a reminder.

In 2024, CAPS served 275 families with 415 children in Marshall County. Services include crisis intervention, home visits and school-based programs. Sexual Abuse Prevention is for grades preschool through fourth grade, while Adolescent Health is for those fifth grade through twelfth. Between the two in-school programs, 7,415 students in grades preschool through high school were reached (in Marshall, Hardin and Tama counties). She noted the biggest struggles clients face are domestic violence and homelessness.

Michels said an ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score measures the number of traumatic events a person experienced before age 18. The score ranges from 0 to 10. Higher scores are associated with greater risks of mental health issues, substance abuse, risky behaviors and chronic diseases.

Officers with the Marshalltown Police Department respond to calls that at first glance may not pertain to child welfare, but do.

“We come across a multitude of crimes that maybe didn’t start out as child endangerment, but we recognize it as such, and then rely heavily on our community partners to help in providing support for that child, and then we can do any kind of follow up that we need as far as criminal charges go,” said MPD Detective Kraig Lageschulte.

When it comes to child abuse and child victim cases, there were 58 reports in the last 12 months between the Marshalltown Police Department and Marshall County Sheriff’s Office. A child is classified as a person age 14 and under.

MPD Patrol Officer Jacob Molitor noted it’s rare for him to arrive to a scene and visually see bruises on a child’s body. Instead, it’s more likely the child is a witness to violence, neglect or dirty living conditions.

Sadly, repeated calls to the same address are common.

“It can be heartbreaking for us seeing it repeatedly for a particular family,” Lageschulte said. “But there too, we are so thankful to have all of the community partners that we have, so if we are not able to do something, hopefully we can get some supports put into place for that family to try to prevent things happening in the future to that child.”

Community partners include mental health and child welfare agencies, DHS, school counselors and MPACT (Marshalltown Police and Community Team). MPACT is an intervention program providing service within the city of Marshalltown, and is a joint effort between MPD and YSS of Marshall County. It is a mobile crisis unit for non-violent or non-life-threatening medical emergencies.

“Our hope would be that we would be able to intervene before any kind of criminal charges would be necessary,” he added.

Molitor said signs of child abuse and neglect aren’t always obvious. It can take on the form of skipping school, being out past curfew, stealing and other juvenile delinquency.

“We pay attention to if kids are getting in trouble, why?” he said.

In some cases, a child may be lacking warm clothing in the winter. Likewise, a child may be “overdressed” to hide injuries.

The MPD commonly responds to children who have become separated from their parent or guardian. The younger the child, the more worrisome the situation.

Molitor said patrol officers being assigned to local schools has helped build trust between law enforcement and youth, and can include hanging out together at recess or eating together at lunch.

“That type of thing brings those walls down,” he noted.

Lageschulte said the police department knows parenting can be difficult, and it can help connect people with respite care services.

If a situation calls for a child to be removed from the home, he said it’s always preferred to connect the youth with a family member instead of going to stay with a stranger. Guardians are vetted before a kid is relocated.

“When we intervene, people tend to think we’re going to make things worse for them, but we’re kind of the initiation of that process of getting people resources,” Molitor said. “Or if we do charge somebody with a crime, the criminal justice system isn’t set up to throw away the key on people; it’s to give people chances to change their behavior and to lead them to all these different things. And sometimes, the court will mandate programs they have to attend and whatnot to make sure they get those resources and services and instill things in them they didn’t otherwise have.”

Lageschulte noted child abuse cases are investigated with the aid of interviewing parents, witnesses and suspects.

“There are people throughout the state that are specially trained in talking with kids about such situations, and so we would set up an appointment with those interviewers to talk with the child,” he said. “The environment is more familiar to them. It’s very similar to a doctor’s office, so it’s not intimidating, it’s not coercive, and just allows the information they provide to be a bit more free flowing and usable down the line for law enforcement purposes.”

Molitor said he understands frustration when an arrest isn’t made. But, it doesn’t mean investigating and documenting isn’t going on behind the scenes.

“Even though we weren’t able to take action at that time, we can use that past information to support the new information that comes in that corroborates, and then take action at that time,” he said. “That person that’s reporting might be the missing puzzle piece that we need to finally take action.”

If you suspect a child is being abused, call 911. To reach non-emergency dispatch or MPACT dial: 641-754-5725.