Family Advocacy encourages healthy relationships at Child Abuse Prevention Month event

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The RAF Mildenhall Youth Center held an interactive event to highlight Child Abuse Prevention Month April 5, 2017, during which a representative from family advocacy discussed healthy family dynamics and how to identify positive and negative emotions.

According to the Military OneSource website, since 1983, April has been dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through the observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The observance serves to educate parents and the community about warning signs and helpful resources, and to reinforce that the safety and well-being of children is a shared community responsibility.

At the event, 32 children, aged 5 to 12, were shown visual aids of families, and were asked whether they thought the family was happy or sad, and how they could tell. They also drew pictures of activities they enjoyed doing with their own families and friends. During the conversation, the children were asked what makes them feel angry or sad and what helps them feel better.

The older children also talked about body language and how they could decipher body language to tell how someone was feeling.

“In the communication process, the person sending the message does so in two ways: using verbal and non-verbal skills. Body language, the non-verbal, constitutes eighty percent of the message,” said Kayla Varga, 48th Medical Operations Squadron Family Advocacy outreach manager and social worker, who talked to children at the event. She explained the importance of having this type of event with youths.

“Children are very impressionable when they’re young, so this age group is really important to talk to,” she said. “Hearing about abuse statistics doesn’t always prompt change, which is why we focused the conversation to what a healthy family should look like.”

She explained the importance of raising awareness of child abuse prevention and highlighted services available for parents to use, such as the “Love and Logic Parenting” class held on RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath.

“The class is a philosophy that relies heavily on empathy and allowing kids to make their own decisions as long as it doesn’t jeopardize their safety,” said Varga. “It helps parents with an alternative strategy so they can hopefully avoid having to use any type of corporal or physical punishment whatsoever. For all military families, whether on or off base, U.K. Child Protective Services has full jurisdiction over children, so it’s important to educate families about using alternatives strategies such as ‘Love and Logic’ parenting.”

Varga explained that the staff at family advocacy can provide both prevention and intervention services to limit the incidents of family violence. By implementing healthy parenting styles at home, parents can help decrease the potential for other risk factors later in life. According to ‘Love and Logic,’ some healthy tips include being a consultant, letting the child be responsible, teaching problem-solving skills, offering choices and being empathetic.

“Our goal is for children to recognize what being happy in a family setting can look like; happiness should include positive connections. Even something as simple as bringing an information pamphlet home to mom and dad allows conversations to start amongst families,” said Varga.

Events such as the one at the youth center are important to aid in encouraging healthy relationships within families.

“The Air Force partners with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and 4-H (youth organization Head, Hands, Heart and Health) to promote the importance of health families,” said April Osz, 100th Force Support Squadron Youth Programs training and curriculum specialist. “RAF Mildenhall Youth Programs utilizes programming from both these partners, but building relationships – such as having family advocacy come out and talk with our children – allows us to get a very important message out for both the Month of the Military Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“It’s great for our children to see how some of their families work directly with us in this special way. We love for local agencies to come and do activities with our children,” said Ocz.

Family support is available through the family advocacy office and the mental health clinic which is staffed by qualified mental health providers, including social workers, child psychiatrists and child psychologists. Alternatively, military family life counsellors are based in the youth centers, child care centers and Airman and Family Readiness Centers.

For more information, call DSN 226-8070 or commercial on 01638-528070.