The month of April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Portage County Job & Family Services (PCJFS) is aiming to raise awareness.
PCJFS operates a 24/7 CARES hotline to receive reports of suspected abuse or neglect. In 2025, 3,190 Child Protective Service referrals were received through the CARES hotline, and 754 reports of alleged physical/sexual abuse or neglect were investigated. The social work staff at PCJFS commit themselves daily to working with children and families that have been impacted.
Portage County Job & Family Services (PCJFS) Child and Adult Protective Services division will host three events in conjunction with Child Abuse Prevention Month.
On Tuesday, March 31, at 10:30 AM., PCJFS is partnering with the Children’s Advocacy Center of Portage County to plant blue pinwheels on the front lawn of the Portage County Administration Building at 449 E. Meridian St., Ravenna. The pinwheels will be accompanied by banners that promote April Child Abuse Prevention Month and give the phone number for reporting child abuse in Portage County. The blue pinwheels will remain on the lawn at PCJFS during the month of April. Other community partners will also be planting pinwheels and hanging banners on their own sites throughout the month. PCJFS will post pictures to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pcjfs to highlight community activity supporting Child Abuse Prevention Month.
On Wednesday, April 8, all Portage County Fire Departments, Police Departments, schools, day cares, businesses, and residents are invited to wear blue to spread awareness about child abuse prevention. On this day, Portage County staff will also be participating in the Wear Blue awareness campaign. Many staff members will be wearing Portage County “Protect Portage Children” awareness shirts and will be posting pictures to social media using the hashtag #ProtectPortageChildren.
On Saturday, May 16, PCJFS will host its annual Family Fun Day at Brown Middle School (228 Scranton Street, Ravenna) from 11:00AM – 2:00PM. The community is invited to attend the free, family-friendly event which features speakers and demos to bring awareness to the public about topics promoting safe, healthy living environments. The event will also offer fun games, crafts, food, vendor tables, giveaways and prizes.
If you or someone you know suspects child abuse or neglect, please call the 24-hour abuse and neglect hotline at 330-296-CARE. For more information on events, please contact PCJFS Public Information Officer, Audrey M. Riley at Audrey.Riley@jfs.ohio.gov or 330-715-0393.
