Helping Stem Child Abuse in O.C. : New Computers, More Volunteering, Contributions Help in Fight

Social workers picked their profession to help people, not to fill out forms. But for too many Orange County social workers in the child welfare department, and their colleagues across the state, keeping records is a laborious, time-consuming necessity that reduces their opportunities to visit clients and assist families.

Case workers hope that a new computer system scheduled for introduction next year will pare the paperwork and make their jobs more productive.

The machines, which have been commonplace in most business offices for well over a decade, can also help children. The plan is to make it easier for Orange County to match children to foster homes.

A statewide computer system can also help social workers determine if a suspected child abuser has previously been accused of abuse. Or it can tell if a drug-addicted parent has failed rehabilitation programs before, in which case a child might be better off removed from a home.

The county’s social workers never had an easy job. Their budgets were always tight; the conditions in some homes they visited were heart-rending. But Orange County’s bankruptcy made things worse.

The Social Services Agency was forced to reduce staff and funding for the child welfare division because of the bankruptcy. Social workers’ caseloads increased. A program to help families with children thought to be at risk of further abuse was cut back.

There was some good news in an otherwise gloomy picture, however. Volunteers for the Child Abuse Prevention Center of Orange County increased the number of hours they provided to children and families. The center provides a valuable service with its training of parent aides.

The South County Child Abuse Services Team also was fortunate in narrowly escaping being abolished for lack of funds. Private companies chipped in some money, fund-raisers brought in additional cash, and the Laguna Hills facility was able to stay open.

Last year also brought a surprising drop in telephone calls to the Child Abuse Registry and in the population at the Orangewood Children’s Home in Orange, which cares for abused and neglected children.

Officials cautioned that they were unsure why the statistics showed improvement and, probably wisely, were reluctant to say the numbers conclusively showed abuse had actually declined.

But some social workers said they hoped that increased emphasis in the community on child abuse and education in how to prevent it was paying off. If the trend of fewer reports of abuse continues, that would be very good news and a tribute to the social workers and the volunteers who help them.