PROJECTS

To report suspected child abuse or neglect in Amador County call toll free (844) 835-3685 or (209) 223-6550.

ACEs and Trauma

Informed Care

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events that can have negative, lasting effects on health and well-being.

These experiences range from physical, emotional, or sexual abuse to parental divorce or the incarceration of a parent or guardian. As the number of ACEs a person has increases, so does the risk for outcomes such as heart disease, depression, heart disease, cancer, smoking and obesity. Childhood abuse and household dysfunction are linked to many of the leading causes of death in adults according to the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study.

What is the ACE Study?

The landmark Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study(1) examined the relationship between some of these experiences and longer term outcomes. Adverse Childhood Experiences have been linked to risky health behaviors, chronic health conditions, low life potential, and early death. As the number of ACEs increases, so does the risk for these outcomes. The wide-ranging health and social consequences of ACEs underscore the importance of preventing them before they happen.

ACEs Can Be Prevented

Safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments may help people reach their full potential by preventing early adverse experiences before they occur and protecting against poor outcomes for children who have already experienced adversity. However, there are practices that build protective factors for individuals, communities, and families and may reduce the risk of ACEs. According to the Center for the Study of Social Policy Strategies, communities can do the following to promote these family protective factors: Promote children's social and emotional development; Provide resources for family crisis; Identify and respond to early warning signs of child abuse and neglect; Facilitate friendships and mutual support among parents; Strengthen parenting skills, resources and education; Value and support all parents through culturally competent practices.

ACEs and Trauma-Informed Care in Amador County

Families, organizations and entire communities benefit from a common goal that coordinates efforts to prevent a variety of ACEs, by promoting awareness of the problem, and finding community solutions. The earlier we can address ACEs in individuals, the better our chances are of promoting healing and resilience for all.

Join CAPC in a county-wide effort called Resilient Amador to recognize and address the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences(ACEs) and trauma and to work towards changing local systems that promote healthy children, adults, families, and a strong community.

Visit the Resilient Amador page HERE.

Knitting for a Cause

Learn all about our campaign for the Period of Purple Crying and how you can get involved!

Knitting for a Cause Period of Purple Crying

Knit or crochet purple caps or blankets for infant abuse prevention.

Your knitted or crocheted caps and blankets (and purple baby quilts too!) will be given to babies in Amador County to help educate parents about the Period of PURPLE Crying, a normal but frustrating period of increased crying all infants experience in the first few months after birth. The Period of PURPLE Crying is also a program that teaches parents about normal infant crying, how to cope with this crying and the dangers of reacting to frustration with a baby's crying by shaking or otherwise harming them.

Create as many hats or blankets as you’d like in any shade of soft, PURPLE, baby-friendly yarn; mixing in white or blue is also encouraged!

You can deliver your caps and blankets to the Child Abuse Prevention Council, during the month of April at selected sites around the county, or bring them to our booth at Celebrate Our Children each spring.

Maternal Wellness & Postpartum Depression

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) states that postpartum depression may be one of the most under-recognized and under-treated disorders affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of new mothers. Postpartum depression can occur not only in mothers, but in fathers, partners, and adoptive and foster parents. The impact on children can be significant and long-term and at times can be linked to child abuse and neglect.

Regularly scheduled trainings happen the second Wednesday of each month (except December) at the Child Abuse Prevention Offices at 10:00am. Please call ahead to RSVP, (209) 223-5921.

Mandated Reporters are required by law to make a telephone report of

suspected child abuse or neglect immediately, or as soon as possible, to Child Protective Services or a law
enforcement agency.
Child Protective Services
223-6550 or 223-1075

(for after hours)

Mandated Reporter Training

This training is provided free of charge for your place of work, colleagues, staff, and more. It provides an overview of the significant definitions, requirements and protections of the California Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting Act. You will learn:

How the law defines child abuse and neglect
What the law requires of you as a mandated reporter
What protections the law provides for a mandated reporter
How to spot evidence of child abuse
How to report child abuse
What happens after a report is filed
Definitions of some of the terms used in this program

This training takes 2 hours to complete. Participants will receive a Certificate for your records upon completion of the training.

Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect

A Quick Reference Guide

2023-24 Schedule

Are They Up to the Task?

Not all adults are comfortable with or appropriate for caring for children for long periods of time. When there are limited choices for who to leave your children with, how do you make the right choice? By offering education and information around this topic we hope to help parents make informed choices that would keep their children from being placed into dangerous situations of neglect and abuse.

Head trauma (also referred to as Shaken Baby Syndrome) is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases in the United States and can happen in children up to 5 years old, and the average age of victims is between 3 and 8 months. However, the highest rate of cases occur among infants just 6 to 8 weeks old, which is when babies tend to cry the most. Abusive head trauma results from injuries caused by someone vigorously shaking a child. In many cases, the caregiver cannot get the baby to stop crying and, out of frustration or anger, will shake the baby. The

perpetrators in about 70% of cases are males — usually either the baby's father or the mother's boyfriend, often someone in his early twenties. But anyone has the potential to shake a baby if he or she isn't able to handle stressful situations well, has poor impulse control, or has a tendency toward aggressive behavior. Substance abuse often plays a role in abusive head trauma.

Medicine Disposal Bins

Don't Rush to Flush!

Many homes end up with unwanted or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications. Old prescriptions left in medicine cabinets or elsewhere in the home can often be an easy source for those who would like to abuse prescription medications and can pose danger to pets or children who may accidentally ingest your medications.

Unneeded medicine may also cause confusion for people who are already taking a large number of medications.

In these situations, there is a solution — safe drug disposal.

Protect your family against misuse of all medications by safely disposing of prescription and OTC medications here in Amador County.

Simply bring your unwanted, unused or expired medication to any of the four safe medication disposal kiosks and drop it in—just like putting a letter in a mailbox.

Amador County has FOUR FREE

medicine collection sites.

Ione Pharmacy - 307 Preston Avenue, Ione

Ione Police Department Lobby - 1 East Main Street, Ione

Jackson Police Department - 33 Broadway, Jackson

WellSpace Health Center - 11333 Prospect Drive, Jackson

It's easy as 1-2-3!

1. At home, remove pills from the container and consolidate in a clear zipper bag. Keep liquids and creams in original containers.

2. Remove or obscure personal information from containers. Recycle empty pill containers in your household recycling.

3. Place zipper bag, liquids, and creams into the collective bin.

Note: Medications should remain in the original child-proof container until just prior to drop-off.

No needles or lancets allowed.