BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. — As more schools start back and businesses reopen, reports of child abuse are going back up.
A center designed to help abused children in Blount County stayed open through the pandemic and adapted to changes to keep staff and victims safe.
New Hope Child Advocacy Center is a one-stop-shop for abused children and families to get the help they need. During the pandemic, they never closed because they knew children needed advocates.
"Abuse doesn't stop just because a lot of other things have stopped during all of this," New Hope Executive Director Tabitha Damron said. "We knew that we were gonna need to keep our doors open but trying to figure out a way to do that and keep our staff healthy and safe as well."
Their solution was to offer telehealth and teleforensics through Zoom and FaceTime calls with victims.
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"We've just had great success," Damron said. "The kids have all been really engaged with that. We didn't know how it was gonna go dealing with young children, but I think that's more their norm. So that felt really comfortable for them."
During the month of April, when shops and schools were shut, the center received about 40 percent fewer referrals than a normal year. That didn't mean that the problem had stopped.
"Sadly, abuse has probably happened more," Damron said. "I think with kids being home and being more isolated that there has been unfortunately more opportunities for abuse to take place."
During the last few months, now that more organizations and institutions are open, they've seen a surge in child abuse reports through the state hotline.
They're able to continue helping those kids because of funding and a switch to virtual meetings.
"We wanted to make sure that if a child made a disclosure, first and foremost that we were able to allow them access to tell their story as soon as possible," Damron said.
They can't serve the kids who need help unless bystanders report suspicious behavior, which is crucial.
"You could be the lifeline for these kids and they really count on us to be their voice," Damron said.
New Hope received funding during the pandemic through the United Way of Blount County, donations, federal grants and PPP loans.
Because of this money, they're able to offer services free of charge to families. But, they said they need funding from the community to keep going.
The center has had to adapt their fundraising style during the pandemic as well. Their next fundraiser is November 8. The board is still in talks to figure out the best protocol moving forward.
If you would like to donate and find more information, click here or visit blountkids.org.
To report child abuse, you can call the state hotline at 877-237-0004.