Every Month Must Be Child Abuse Prevention Month
by Tami Silverman, President & CEO of Indiana Youth Institute
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the newest data from the 2026 Indiana KIDS COUNT® Data Dashboards offers a clear reminder that protecting our children must remain a year-round priority.
In 2025, Indiana recorded more than 21,000 child victims of substantiated abuse or neglect. This marks a troubling increase in the number after several previous years of decline. Statewide, this number translates to about 13.4 victims per 1,000 children, although in some communities, children experience abuse or neglect at rates well above the state average. Infants and toddlers remain at the greatest risk. Children under age three account for a disproportionate share of abuse fatalities, with neglect most often cited as the cause.
Behind every data point is a child whose sense of safety has been shaken. Many face court involvement, school disruptions, family separation, and placement changes. In 2025, over 20,000 Hoosier children were living in foster care at some point, and thousands more were receiving in home services to keep families together. These interventions matter, yet prevention remains our strongest tool.
Research is clear that child abuse and neglect do not occur in isolation. Poverty, housing instability, untreated mental health conditions, and substance use disorders within the household all raise risk, particularly when families lack consistent social support. When stress piles up and caregivers feel isolated, the likelihood of harm to a child in the family increases.
The good news is that prevention is also well understood. Strong, stable relationships with caring adults consistently emerge as among the most powerful protective factors in a child’s life. Children who are connected to trusted adults outside their immediate household are less likely to experience abuse and more likely to recover when adversity occurs.
This evidence sits at the heart of Indiana Youth Institute’s FIVE by 50 initiative, a statewide vision to ensure that every child in Indiana is surrounded by at least five supportive adults by the year 2050. Those adults may include parents, as well as relatives, teachers, coaches, mentors, and youth serving professionals. What matters is that children are known and well-supported as they navigate life.
Preventing abuse means strengthening relationships long before a crisis occurs, and a web of connected adults strengthens protective factors for children and families. This kind of relational safety net reduces isolation, buffers stress and lowers the risk of abuse. Children with multiple supportive adults experience better mental health, stronger school engagement, and greater long-term stability.
Community youth services organizations, including mentoring programs, after school providers, and family support agencies, often play a central role in building safety nets for our children. They work upstream to prevent harm by supporting parents, building skills, and surrounding children with safe places and trusted adults. When families are overwhelmed, they are more likely to seek help if they already have established trusted relationships. When an adult notices something feels off, another can step in with support, resources, or a listening ear. These same protective factors are linked to lower involvement with the child welfare system.
Prevention, however, does not replace accountability. Every Indiana adult is a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse or neglect. If you believe a child may be unsafe, it is your responsibility to speak up. The Indiana Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline at 1-800-800-5556 is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and reports can be made anonymously. Making a report is not an accusation. It is a request for professionals to assess safety and provide help when needed.
If a child is believed to be suffering abuse or neglect, child advocacy centers may become engaged, bringing together child welfare, medical professionals, mental health providers, and law enforcement so children who have experienced abuse receive coordinated, trauma informed care while avoiding repeated interviews.
Throughout April, communities across Indiana will mark Child Abuse Awareness Month with educational events, trainings, and prevention activities. These efforts matter, but awareness alone is not enough. Real change happens when adults show up consistently in the lives of children and for one another.
Protecting children is not the work of a single system or a single month. It is a shared responsibility built through relationships, vigilance, and collective care. This month, and every month, Hoosiers can help strengthen the protective web around children. Be present. Check in. Lend support to stressed families. Volunteer. Mentor. Learn the signs of abuse and neglect. Commit to being one of the five.
When children are surrounded by attentive, connected adults, they are safer. Our communities are stronger. And Indiana’s future is brighter.
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