Fountain Valley News - Your Hometown Community Newspaper

National Child Abuse Prevention Month was highlighted by the Board of El Paso County Commissioners on April 19. It serves as a critical reminder of how everyone plays a role in preventing child abuse and neglect.

More than 20,873 hotline calls were received in 2021 by the El Paso County Department of Human Services (DHS). That is still a decrease from calls in 2019, and barely an increase from 2020. Stacie Kwitek, DHS executive director, thanked community partners, law enforcement and many others for their critical efforts. She also recognized the important work from other divisions of DHS. Staff from Economic Assistance and other teams help connect families to supports and services that are part of the work to strengthen families, and thus help prevent child abuse and neglect. 

The statewide hotline to call in concerns about of child abuse and neglect is 1-844-CO-4-Kids. It is always open. For more ways to support families, visit https://www.co4kids.org.