Kids are calling. We must answer.

How do teachers and youth organizations matter to abused children?

This week Pennsylvanians learned the state hotline for abused children is in dire need of intervention itself. 42,000 distress calls to Childline went unanswered in 2015. That’s 22 percent of all calls Childline received in total, according to an interim report.

The shocking revelation of unanswered calls on the state hotline has enraged many, but the circumstances of calls that do get answered is also grim. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, calls to the City’s Department of Human Services hotline increased by 30% in 2015. Citing under staffing and the upsurge of calls, DHS told City Council that they would be paying $12 million in overtime.

For both the City and the commonwealth, the increase in the volume of calls is being attributed to the Jerry Sandusky case, after the ex-Penn State football coach was found guilty of abusing minors at a football camp he ran. The high-profile nature of the resulted in legislation that requires more categories of adults who work with children to obtain a child abuse background checks and increases the pool of adults required to report suspected child abuse.

The rise in calls has also pushed up investigations of suspected child abuse by about 12%, in Philadelphia. The new law has clearly resulted in more awareness of child abuse, but it’s one thing to identify more children who might be abused, but quite another to care for them.

First and foremost every child needs to live in a safe place and that’s the bread and butter job of county child welfare agencies in Pennsylvania. Schools staff and youth serving agency staff also play a very large role in the lives of these kids. The Sanctuary Model, developed by Drexel’s Sandra Bloom, which helps organizations restructure their cultures to ones that stress safety, emotional-management, self-control and conflict resolution, is an important tool. Some of those same principles undergird the Philadelphia School District’s expansion of the groundbreaking Positive Behavioral Services. Ideally more schools across the state would adopt these models.

Mayor Kenney is acutely aware of emotional needs of children who are at risk at home and also the needs of our schools. His community schools initiative, modeled on the Council President’s proposal, can significantly increase the supports these children find in the safe havens of their schools. The Mayor has also expressed support for putting social workers in our schools so that our children can get the help they need rapidly and our teachers learn how the best ways to help these children recover and thrive.

Both strategies appear somewhat prophetic given the sudden spike in calls for help.

Read PCCY’s report on School Climate and Safety.

Speak truth to power! Join our upcoming Capitol Caravans and give legislators a piece of your mind. On June 6, we’re fighting for school funding; On June 8 it’s all about quality pre-k. Call Shirlee: 215-563-5848×32

Do you lead or work for a PA-based organization or businesses? Join other groups and companies across the commonwealth by signing on to this message to state legislative leaders and the governor asking them to prioritize increased funding for high-quality pre-k in the 2016-17 state budget.

A listing of 189 “underfunded” districts released by Equity First includes Lower Merion, where students get laptops, and somehow misses Philadelphia County, where teachers buy their own paper.

The State House joined the Senate in voting overwhelmingly this week in favor of making the new Basic Education Funding formula pushed by PCCY and the Campaign for Fair Funding Campaign permanent, “removing politics from school funding decisions.” Patrick Dowd, Allies for Children. READ MORE