YOLO COUNTY, CA (MPG) – Throughout Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC), Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) and partners are raising awareness about nurturing resilience in youth and their families in the region.

This year, the Yolo County CAPC will be leveraging the Strong Families Yolo website, launched in 2021, to provide new interactive resources and educational materials focused on the needs of youth and their parents/caregivers. 

Youth and their families continue to face stressors induced by the COVID-19 pandemic as they grapple with the collateral consequences of the coronavirus – school and workplace closures, social isolation, and extensive situational stressors during these prolonged times of uncertainty. The Yolo County CAPC collaborated with school districts and youth service organizations to engage and empower youth to directly inform the process of curating a resource guide. Through a youth survey and focus group, the CAPC found that the primary concerns of youth include loneliness, stress, and anxiety. 

In response to these concerns, the CAPC has developed guides for youth and their parents/caregivers that provide resources to promote resilience, self-care, and personal growth. These guides are easily accessible through the Strong Families Yolo website alongside hundreds of resources and practical ideas for all people in our community to support families in Yolo County and help prevent child abuse and neglect. The CAPC partnered with local schools to showcase art created by youth to illustrate what a ‘Strong Family’ means to them. This artwork will be displayed at the Yolo County Public Administration building throughout the month of April and will be shared across partner organizations’ social media channels. 

“During Child Abuse Prevention Month, we are reminded of how we all play a critical role in empowering and strengthening our youth,” said Chief Robert Strange, West Sacramento Chief of Police. “The effects of the pandemic are often talked about in the sense of ‘food and housing insecurity and job loss’ but we need to remember that our youth, who we as a community are responsible for setting up for success, have been detrimentally impacted by a major lack of support. As a community, it’s our responsibility to make sure these youth and their families have the tools to take care of themselves, and in turn take care of each other.” 

Everyone can play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect, starting with strengthening families by connecting them with information and resources. The CAPC urges the Yolo County community to share Building Youth Resilience with their networks using its social media awareness tool kit. Join us in the movement to prevent and end child abuse and neglect by building a stronger Yolo County community. 

The Yolo County Children’s Alliance (YCCA) was founded as the Child Abuse Prevention Council (CAPC) of Yolo County in 2002 and for the past 20 years, has continued to coordinate county efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect. Yolo County’s child abuse prevention efforts are fostered by the contributions of the following agencies and organizations: CommuniCare Health Centers, Empower Yolo, First 5 Yolo, West Sacramento Police Department, Yolo County CASA, Yolo County District Attorney’s Office- Multi-Disciplinary Interview Center, Yolo County HHSA, Yolo County Office of Education, and Yolo County Probation. To learn more about the Yolo County Child Abuse Prevention Council, visit www.yolokids.org/child-abuse-prevention-council.