Child-abuse prevention targets fathers

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Child-abuse prevention targets fathers - OrlandoSentinel.com

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orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-child-abuse-prevention-20130418,0,6077671.story

OrlandoSentinel.com Child-abuse prevention targets fathers By Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel 1:03 AM EDT, April 19, 2013 Following the recent arrests of two Central Florida fathers for extreme child abuse, local officials have launched an initiative to give new dads and male caretakers more parenting support.

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"There are a lot of classes and programs out there for expecting and new moms — and understandably so," said Carrie Hoeppner, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Children and Families' central region. "But historically, there hasn't been much for men. We know from statistics that the male caregiver figure is more prone to demonstrate violence towards a child in response to stress or feelings of being overwhelmed." At a news conference in Orlando this morning, DCF officials are expected to deliver a message on the importance of responsible fatherhood and to challenge local nonprofits and faith-based organizations to get involved. In the past decade, a growing amount of research has linked absent fathers with increased risk of infant mortality and childhood poverty as well as higher rates of incarceration and aggression as those kids grow up. "I want to tell young fathers: 'You're going to make mistakes, but it's not an excuse to stay gone and not face your children,'" said 30-year-old Derrick Stephens, a former foster child who will speak at today's event. His father committed suicide when Stevens was still in grade school, and the first of his own three children was born when he was 19 and single. "Unfortunately, that's what a lot of guys do. I didn't get it right all along either. But you learn." Classes and support groups seem unlikely to stop the kind of egregious abuse alleged in the two most recent cases: Police say a Tavares high school teaching assistant starved an 11-year-old girl in his care until she weighed just 40 pounds, and an Apopka man was arrested for murder after his 15-month-old daughter died from repeated beatings and burns. But child-welfare workers say education can prevent more typical cases in which young dads simply become frustrated and lose patience. "Some men don't know that you never, ever shake a baby," said Linda Sutherland, executive director of the Healthy Start Coalition of Orange County. "They get frustrated if they can't fix a problem right away, especially if it's a crying baby. We have to teach them: Expect to be frustrated a lot as a parent."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-child-abuse-prevention-20130... 5/8/2013


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