Politics & Government

State Could End Program For Child Abuse Prevention

Howard County is one of nine counties that would no longer get funds for in-home service to assure children are not being abused or neglected, with the current budget plan.

Healthy Families Howard County, a program run through Howard County General Hospital, last year helped more than 650 families of first-time parents with in-home assistance to assure children got a proper, abuse-free start to life. But state budget plans threaten to cut the program, and local advocates are calling on state legislators to reverse the plan.

There are almost 20 programs in Maryland like HFHC, providing assistance to parents who may not be able to afford childcare literature or do not know what a suitable environment is for children. According to it's website, staff conduct regular in-home visits to teach parents how to interact with their baby in a nurturing way, and to ensure the home presents no dangers for small children.

According to a press release from the Howard County Advisory Board of Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, the HFHC is one of nine programs in the state facing a complete cut for home visiting services in FY 2013.

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"They're trying to cut the funds to these counties because they think these counties are too affluent," said board co-chair Catherine Bledsoe. But Bledsoe and State Delegate Liz Bobo say even the wealthier counties need to take care of their less-fortunate residents.

"We have a great deal of wealth in Howard County, but that does not mean that we do not have our poor people," said Bobo. She agrees that some people in the state government have the perception that poverty doesn't exist in the wealthier counties, but hopes Governor Martin O'Malley will see otherwise.

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"It's just totally unacceptable for a county and a state, with the wealth that we have, not to take care of these kids. It would be unconscionable to do so," Bobo said.

Raquel Guillory, a spokesperson for the governor's office, said it is too early in the budget process for O'Malley to decide to renew funds for the program.

"It's something that we will take a look at, along with a lot of other requests," Guillory said.

Judy Templeton, program supervisor for Healthy Families Howard County, says the program as it is currently organized costs the state $300,000 annually, employing five full-time staff and several part-time employees from Howard County General Hospital. More than 4,500 families have received in-home care through the program since 2001, according to the hospital's website.

Templeton says most of the families have little to no income, and would not have any alternatives for this kind of care if the program ends. She has seen first-hand how in-home assistance can change lives for abused children and mothers.

"We have the exact same intensity of [abuse] cases as Baltimore City even though we may not have as many cases," said Templeton. "Anybody who wants to come walk in my shoes, I could show them cases they would be shocked about."

Templeton said she has many stories, from a mail-order bride who had a baby by her abusive husband, to a homeless woman who was carrying around her nine-month-old baby through homeless shelters during the winter. The abuse victim now lives on her own and the homeless mother can now pay rent and owns a car, she said.

Bobo said she thinks the Howard County government could absorb the cost of the program if it the cut were made, but she said she hopes that isn't necessary.

"I am optimistic that the governor will restore the funds," Bobo told Patch.

Board members said they are calling on residents of the county to contact their local legislators and demand budget room for home visiting services.

Family and Children's Services—which also provides child abuse and sexual assault treatment services, family counseling and in-home services for elderly and disabled people—has two locations in Howard County, one in the North Laurel-Savage Multiservice Center and one in the Wilde Lake Village Center.


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