Latest news with #ShilohWoodard
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Yahoo
Tragedy of child abuse highlighted by Children's Memorial Flag Day
princeton – Children lost to violence and those still suffering violence were remembered Friday with the ringing of a bell and the raising of a special flag during the 2025 Children's Memorial Flag Day. Supporters met outside the Mercer County Courthouse for the annual event to remember seven children across the region lost to child abuse and neglect in 2024. Bill Archer, president of the Mercer County Commission, rang a bell outside the courthouse seven times in their memory. Besides music and a march around the courthouse, Friday's ceremony included awards and recognitions for professionals and volunteers who worked to aid children in need. Child Protect of Mercer County presented service awards to Eden Scruggs, Sgt. K.L. Ross of the Bluefield Police Department and Amanda Ennis for work in aiding and protecting the community's children. One award presented for the first time went to the person who got the county's child protection agency underway almost 20 years ago. Shiloh Woodard, Child Protect of Mercer County's chief executive officer, became the first person to receive the new Beacon of Hope Award. 'If you have ever met Shiloh Woodard, even for five minutes, then you know why I am up here singing her praise and celebrating her commitment to this work,' said Beth Sizemore with Child Protect of Mercer County. 'Shiloh will be leaving her post as executive director of Child Protect after 19 years of impeccable service. She is starting a new and exciting role as chief executive officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network.' Sizemore said that when Woodard joined Child Protect of Mercer County, she was its sole employee and had an annual budget of around $50,000. 'In those years since her humble beginnings, the agency has grown to employ 15 people and have a budget of over $1 million,' Sizemore said. 'That is all because of one person, Shiloh. She will try to deflect the credit, but everyone knows that is true.' Woodard, who knew she was the scheduled keynote speaker but not a scheduled award recipient, said Friday was the last time she would be attending Children's Memorial Flag Day as a member of the community's strong force of child protection professionals. 'And with that in mind, I want to spend my few moments of time in front of you all saying what seems to me to be the most important thing,' Woodard said. 'And that is encouragement.' Woodard urged everyone present to rededicate themselves to the protection of children within their sphere of influence whether it is through their work, their families or the circles in which they find themselves. 'I encourage you to go above and beyond what is expected to create safety nets and supports for the vulnerable children and families in your life – both professinally and personally,' Woodard said. 'I encourage those of you who have dedicated yourselves, your careers and at times your own wellbeing to the cause of child welfare and child protection to continue to fight the good fight.' In 2024, West Virginia's Child Protection Services received 41,227 referrals and 24,301 of them moved on to investigations, according to Allison Kelly with the state Department of Health and Human Resources. Mercer County had 1,412 referrals and 931 moved to investigations. Mercer County had the seventh highest number of referrals in the state. West Virginia had 7,034 children in custody during 2024 and currently has 5,955. Mercer County has 170 children taken into custody during 2024 – the sixth largest in the state – and currently has 231 in custody. Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Yahoo
2024 child abuse statistics report released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network
CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — A report on child abuse statistics for the Mountain State through 2024 was released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. According to a press release, the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network (WVCAN) released the Statewide Data Report for child abuse statistics in West Virginia for the 2024 fiscal year, July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. A Wyoming County school has been selected as a State Winner in a national STEM competition The press release stated that the information was from the 21 Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) in the Mountain State that offer service to 47 of the 55 counties in West Virginia. CACs are child-friendly areas where child protection, criminal justice, and child treatment professionals work together to investigate abuse, hold offenders accountable, and help children heal. 4,909 children were served by CACs in West Virginia during the 2024 fiscal year. This was an eight percent increase in new kids who were served over the previous five years. According to the press release, report details include: 4,702 forensic interviews were conducted 16 percent of the children served were there because of allegations of drug endangerment, four times higher than the national average 48 percent of the children served were there because of allegations of sexual abuse 44 percent of the children served by CACs were between seven and 12 years old 95 percent of alleged offenders were someone the child knew 30 percent of children are reported to have one or more disabilities 846 cases had charges filed 336 individuals were convicted for crimes against children 330,147 children (93 percent of the state's population) live in a county officially served by a CAC 22,217 children (seven percent of the state's population) live in a county without official CAC coverage In the past year, the number of children referred to West Virginia CACs due to suspected drug endangerment was four times the national average. aid Shiloh Woodard, Interim Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. We must do all that we can to ensure the stability and continuity of our 21 Child Advocacy Centers in the Mountain State so that critical services to child survivors of abuse and children and youth who have been exposed to the opioid epidemic can continue to be provided. Shiloh Woodard | Interim Chief Executive Officer of the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network International drone and robotics competition to be held at WVU Tech Caregivers that visited CACs were requested to take a survey, and 97 percent of the caregivers stated that if they knew about people in similar situation's they would inform the person about the child advocacy centers. 66 percent of children who had forensic interviews at a CAC reported abuse in the 2024 fiscal year, and 34 percent of children who were interviewed did not report abuse during the interviews. Even though some children may not disclose any information, multidisciplinary teams at CACs could have good cause to investigate any reports that resulted in the child being at a CAC. According to the press release, data on reported vs. disclosed abuse, criminal justice response, victim demographics, alleged offender demographics, services performed, and CAC income budget breakdown were included in the report released by the West Virginia Child Advocacy Network. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
