April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We Know What Works – Now We Must Act.

By Dr. Susan A. McConnell

I remember a child I met early in my work.

She was quiet in a way that didn’t belong to a child her age. When I sat beside her, she kept her eyes down. Not out of defiance, but from somewhere practiced. It wasn’t who she was. It was what she had learned to be.

This wasn’t personality – it was adaptation. And in that moment, I understood that nothing I could say or do would immediately change how she responded to the world.

Children adapt to survive. And when they must adapt to environments that are unsafe, those patterns don’t simply disappear when the danger does. They stay, quietly shaping how a child sees, trusts, and moves through the world, sometimes long after the moment has passed.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and if there is one thing I have learned as the Founder and Executive Director of an Illinois-licensed child welfare agency, a member of the Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council, a board member of Illinois CASA, and a member of Voice for Adoption, it is this:

Child abuse is not inevitable. It is preventable. But only if we act earlier – and together.

What We Are Missing About Child Abuse

We tend to think of child abuse as something obvious – something visible. But most often, it is not.

Child abuse is defined as any act – or failure to act – that results in harm, or risk of harm, to a child [1]. It includes physical abuse, emotional harm, sexual abuse, neglect, and abandonment. And in the United States, neglect is the most common form [2].

Neglect does not always look like crisis. It can look like absence. A lack of care, even on the most basic level. A lack of stability. A lack of someone consistently showing up.

And the impact of abuse is profound. Abuse affects brain development, emotional regulation, physical health, and the ability to form relationships well into adulthood [3][4].

If we want to prevent child abuse, we must first understand that it often begins long before a report is made.

Prevention Begins Before Crisis

In Illinois, we have systems designed to respond to abuse. But prevention requires something different. It requires us to look upstream. And from my nonprofit work I know that upstream work is not the most recognizable. The most appreciated. And it’s really difficult to secure funding for prevention. And yet it is arguably the most impactful. 

Research tells us clearly what reduces the risk of abuse: strong families, stable relationships, and community support[3].

Families under stress – financial instability, isolation, mental health challenges – are at greater risk. Not because they do not care, but because they do not have enough support.

This is where prevention lives.

It lives in accessible childcare. In mental health services. In economic stability. In communities that surround families rather than leaving them to navigate alone. It lives in communities supporting families to care for children after school and during family crisis. It even lives in communities helping families to work with children and their homework. Imagine how many children need help with something we consider as basic as homework. 

When families are supported, children are safer, and more successful.

The Power of One Adult – And the Definition of Permanency

I have also seen the other side.

I have seen what happens when a child is matched with the right family.
A teenager, who had every reason not to trust, begins – slowly, cautiously – to let someone in.
A child who has been moved from place to place finally unpacks their bag… and doesn’t have to pack it again.

And in that stillness, something remarkable happens: they begin to believe they might be allowed to stay.

The research confirms what we see every day: one stable, caring adult can change the trajectory of a child’s life [4].

This is not theoretical. It is practical. It is replicable. This is the true definition of permanency. Providing permanency for a child, I believe, is the most protective thing we can do for that child.  And it is within our control. 

What We Must Do Now to Prevent Child Abuse 

If we are serious about preventing child abuse, we must focus on three things:

1. Recognize the Signs Earlier

Children rarely disclose abuse directly. More often, they show us – quietly, consistently – through behavior. A child who withdraws, who startles easily, who becomes suddenly aggressive or fearful. Injuries that don’t quite have an explanation.

It can also surface in the rhythms of everyday life: poor attendance, missing homework, a pattern of lateness. Or the small but telling signs –  exhaustion in their eyes, the inability to focus, the quiet admission that they didn’t sleep at all the night before.

These are not simply “behavior issues.” They are signals. And when we learn to read them with care and urgency, we begin to see what a child may not yet have the words – or the safety – to say.

We must train adults – not just professionals, but all adults who have access to children – to recognize these patterns and respond [1]. Yes teachers, and also those who volunteer with our children. Coaches, club leaders, and other parents who work in the classroom. 

2. Strengthen Families Before They Break

Prevention is not reactive. It is proactive.

It means acting before a report is made – before stress becomes crisis, and before a child begins to show signs of harm. Families rarely reach a breaking point overnight. More often, it is the accumulation of pressure – financial strain, isolation, untreated mental health needs – that erodes a caregiver’s capacity over time.

When we invest in parenting support, accessible mental health care, and economic stability, we change that trajectory. We give families the tools, resources, and margin they need to remain steady, even under stress. These supports strengthen relationships, increase consistency, and reduce the likelihood that children will experience harm.

These are not optional services. They are protective factors. And they are far more effective – and far more humane – than intervening after harm has already occurred [3].

3. Expand Access to Licensed Foster Homes

When children cannot safely remain at home, the goal is not simply removal – it is stability, continuity, and the preservation of relationships whenever possible. The most effective way to achieve this is through licensed foster homes that are prepared, supported, and ready at the moment a child needs them. Yet in Illinois, we face a critical shortage of these homes.

It is, quite simply, a supply issue. And the consequences are profound.

In many regions, including Lake County, we are effectively operating in what can only be described as a “foster home desert.” Despite being a well-resourced county, there are not enough available foster homes to meet the immediate needs of children entering care. As a result, children are routinely placed outside their home communities – sometimes many miles away, often in entirely different counties.

This practice comes at a significant cost to the child.

When children are moved far from home, they often lose:

• Contact with siblings and extended family
• Connection to their school and teachers
• Relationships with trusted adults – coaches, neighbors, mentors – who may be critical sources of stability

These are not small losses. They are protective factors – the very elements that help children heal, maintain identity, and navigate trauma.

There is also a long-term implication that is often overlooked:
When children are placed far from their communities, the likelihood of reunification can decrease. Distance creates barriers – for parents working toward reunification, for caseworkers coordinating visits, and for maintaining the relational bonds that make returning home possible.

And reunification, when safe and appropriate, is a form of permanency that every child deserves the opportunity to preserve.

The solution is clear, even if the work is not simple:
We must recruit, prepare, and sustain more foster families within the communities where children live. Not just more families – but the right families, in the right places, ready at the right time.

Because children in foster care do not just need a place to stay. They need a place that allows them to remain connected – to their families, their schools, and their futures.

A Call to Action: Foster Care as Prevention

This is where each of us can play a role. At Let It Be Us, we recruit and prepare foster and adoptive families across Illinois. What we know is this: the right family, at the right time, changes everything.

If you have ever considered fostering, this is the moment to take the first step.

You do not need to have all the answers. You do not need to be perfect. You need to be willing to learn, to show up, and to provide stability.

Here is how to begin:

Step 1: Learn
Understanding foster care is the first – and the most important – step. Fostering is not about having all the answers; it’s about being willing to offer consistency, patience, and connection to a child who may have experienced disruption or loss. Take time to learn what children in care truly need, what trauma can look like in everyday behavior, and how families can support both healing and stability.
To begin, visit www.letitbeus.org/events, where Let It Be Us offers live and on-demand webinars designed to give you a clear, honest, and supportive introduction to foster care.

Step 2: Prepare
Once you feel ready to move forward, preparation becomes practical. Let It Be Us will walk alongside you to help you select the right foster care agency, one that aligns with your goals, location, and the needs you feel called to meet. From there, you will begin the licensing process, which includes training, background checks, and home preparation.
This step is not about perfection – it’s about readiness. You are building the foundation to welcome a child in a way that is safe, informed, and supported. Visit www.letitibeus.org/events to select an event that is appropriate for you and your location. 

Step 3: Be Ready
As you complete your licensing, you enter a period of readiness. This is where your learning and preparation come together. You’ll begin to think more specifically about the types of placements you can best support – age ranges, sibling groups, or children with particular needs.
Let It Be Us continues to support you here through matching guidance, education, and ongoing communication, ensuring that when an opportunity arises, it is thoughtful, intentional, and aligned.

Step 4: Say Yes
And then, there is the moment.
When the right opportunity comes, your “yes” has the power to change the trajectory of a child’s life.

It may not be a perfect moment. It may feel uncertain. But for a child who needs stability, your willingness to say yes – to offer your home, your presence, your consistency – can be the beginning of something entirely different.

Foster care is not just a system response. It is a prevention strategy.

When children are placed in stable, well-matched homes, we reduce trauma, prevent further harm, and create the conditions for healing.

When Concern Becomes Responsibility

If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected, you do not need proof. You need reasonable suspicion.

In Illinois, the DCFS Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-25-ABUSE) is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For mandated reporters, this is a legal obligation. For the rest of us, it is a moral one.

It is always better to make a call than to remain silent.

This Is Our Collective Responsibility

Child abuse is not rare. It is not isolated. And it is not someone else’s responsibility.

It belongs to all of us.

It belongs to the teacher who notices.
To the neighbor who asks a question.
To the employer who shares resources and builds resources.
To the community that decides children matter.

At Let It Be Us, we believe that matching is relational, not transactional. That children are not interchangeable. And that systems can be more precise, more thoughtful, and more effective.

But systems alone are not enough.

We need people.

We need awareness.
We need action.
We need each other.

Because every time an adult steps forward – whether to report, to support, or to foster – we strengthen the safety net around a child.

And that is how prevention becomes real.

References

[1] Child Welfare Information Gateway. What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.
[2] U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Child Maltreatment Report.
[3] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: A Technical Package for Policy, Norm, and Programmatic Activities.
[4] National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Effects of Trauma on Children.

About Let It Be Us:
Let It Be Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruitment, matching and placement within foster care and adoption across the State of Illinois. Through innovative programming and strategic partnerships, Let It Be Us aims to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. Learn more at www.letitbeus.org.

Dr. Susan A. McConnell, DSW, MBA

Dr. Susan A. McConnell is the Founder and Executive Director of Let It Be Us, an Illinois licensed child welfare agency with the mission of providing collaborative, innovative solutions of effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. Susan has an MBA from DePaul University and a Doctorate Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California, where her work focused on permanency within child welfare.  She is the Chair of the Permanency Committee of the Illinois Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council, appointed by the Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 2017. She is also an adoptive parent with over 30 years of open adoption experience. She can be reached at susanmcconnell@letitbeus.org.

Let It Be Us is an Illinois 501(c)3 and licensed child welfare agency. The mission of Let It Be Us is to provide collaborative, innovative solutions of effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. The Let It Be Us platform manages the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois, engines of success for Illinois foster care adoptions. The Let It Be Us vision is for all children in the Illinois child welfare system to achieve educational equity, employment equity, and overall well being through the incorporation of Let It Be Us Programming into statewide advancements in foster care and adoption recruitment and placement. For more information about Let It Be Us, visit www.letitbeus.org.