Fifty-six pairs of sneakers on the steps of City Hall were part of the annual event to raise awareness of child abuse.

State Rep. Leigh Davis speaks to the gathering at City Hall.

Saharah Johnson speaks about her positive experiences with the Healthy Families program.

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier is presented the Valuing Our Children award from the Children's Trust.

Children's Trust director Jennifer Valenzuela, left, state Reps. Davis, John Barrett III and Farley-Bouvier, Johnson and Charlie, state Sen. Paul Mark, Mayor Peter Marchetti, and Child Care of the Berkshires CEO Amy Hall.

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Mayor Peter Marchetti speaks at the event hosted by Child Care of the Berkshires and the Children's Trust. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifty-six pairs of sneakers placed on the steps of City Hall signified the number of child abuse cases Berkshire County sees in one month.

Child Care of the Berkshires and the Children's Trust stressed the importance of prevention programs with this visual on Friday. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

"That's representing the number of reports that the Department of Children and Families, has said there is reason enough here for us to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred for this child, 56 is too many," said Jennifer Valenzuela, executive director of The Children's Trust, adding that the organizations works each and every day to try and reduce the number.

Community leaders called for child-care resources and backing proposed legalization to protect children and teenagers, but Amy Hall, president and CEO of Child Care of the Berkshires, pointed out that advocacy can also be a simple smile.

"It's not all work. It's also things that we do, simple things. It's when you see a child at the grocery store crying and you give that parent a smile, saying, 'Oh, I've been there. I know what that's like.' Simple things like that because whenever you're in that circumstance, it feels very uncomfortable," she said.

"So anything we can do, these little things every day to support parents, and every single person here can make a difference. So keep on going and I want you to leave this event thinking every day, every week, every year, of what you can do to build community and to support the parents and children in Berkshire County and beyond."

Mayor Peter Marchetti said this is a disheartening statistic to see, and no child should ever be the subject of this type of abuse.

"I know this work isn't always easy, but necessary to establish healthy relationships among every family. This annual recognition serves as an important reminder that we must all act to prevent harm and abuse against children of all ages," he said.

"The children of this community and across Massachusetts deserve to be protected, loved and cared for as they grow. As leaders in our community, we offer our support to all children and families through proactive measures to ensure we support caregivers and connect them with the resources they need. Housing, food, and education are some of the basic needs to be met."

This year, the Children's Trust is focusing on better supports for its employees who work directly in the home with families, trying to get the baseline pay raised from $18 per hour to $20 per hour, which is still a few dollars short of other states.

"I'm a social worker myself, the salaries they're not great. And so how do we make sure that those who are working closest with our families are making enough of a salary that they can afford their own housing and their own basic needs?" Valenzuela said.

"Home visitors and family support staff, including some of them here today, give over 100 percent of themselves each and every day with every family that they're working with, and their dedication is what is making the difference for families and children."

She pointed out that parents call these workers for great events like a child's first steps and traumatic events like sudden homelessness.

"They are oftentimes the first person that they're calling, looking for support or figuring out how to get to the right resources in their community," she said.

"Passion is great, love for the job is great, but that doesn't pay the bills, and so we need to make sure that we're having them be able to stay. The number one reason our home visitors and family support workers are leaving is their low salaries. It's their pay. They just can't afford to stay."

Saharah Johnson, her partner, and child found ease and empowerment in the Healthy Families program. After enrolling in 2022 as first-time parents, the family's home visitor eased their fears, talked them through concerns, and patiently provided simple and helpful ways to bond with their child, like tummy time and talking during diaper changes.

They are preparing to graduate from the program.

"We were in the Healthy Families program for about six months when a serious housing issue came up that demanded all of our focus. Unfortunately, that meant stepping away from the program for a while," Johnson explained, adding that their home visitor assured that they could re-enroll any time before their child turned three, "which brought a lot of comfort during a chaotic time."

About a year later, the family rejoined the program and found vital supports including free clothing and diapers, a voucher for day care, and even discounted admission to museums and cultural destinations.

"When Charlie turned two, we received the news that he has autism, so that was a tough moment for us, but Carolyn was right there, sitting with us, listening and offering us unwavering support," Johnson said.

"She referred us to specialists that helped with Charlie's speech and social development, and helped us create goals to support him. Charlie receives weekly ADA speech therapy and has been making amazing progress, and he's talking more and more every day."

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said Johnson's story was the highlight of the event.

"Your story is a story of a real family, a real family who just needs some help and support to talk about really normal things like tummy time and why it's important, and then to be able to get the resources you need and the things that helped you were to be able to go to the Berkshire Museum as a family event and to get help re-establishing your housing and all that," she said.

"This story of this family, this beautiful family, would have been very different. Because a family that has housing instability and in crisis like that with a child, the chances of that family being separated through the welfare system because they're so concerned about that child, that baby, is very high. But with some extremely low-cost intervention, compared to the cost of the state of getting a child into DCF, getting a child possibly into foster care, that cost is enormous and it's a terrible solution when a family just needs to be supported.

She stressed the importance of changing the dynamic "so we're spending less money on keeping kids in foster care and spending more money on supporting our families. A child is best off safely at home."

During the event, Farley-Bouvier was given the Trust's annual "Valuing Our Children" award that honors a Massachusetts legislator who has demonstrated a commitment to supporting families.

Valenzuela noted that Farley-Bouvier has a real understanding of what is needed to create a village for local families. The award is typically presented in Boston.

"She's uplifted the importance of investing in the social sector workforce to benefit children and families," she said.

"Her unwavering presence at this event every year is a reflection of her commitment to the prevention of child abuse and neglect and her steadfast support of the Children's Trust and all of the different work that's happening across the state for kids. We know that when an advocacy event happens, she's going to be there."

Farley-Bouvier accepted the award on behalf of all people who are working together on this issue "because that's how we get things done," acknowledging the various childcare and school representatives in the audience.

Marchetti pointed out that the City Council recently advocated for the movement of several bills currently being considered by the state legislature to add more protections for victims of sexual abuse:

• House Bill 1634, sponsored by state Rep. Leigh Davis, to criminalize sexual conduct between adults in positions of trust and minors under their supervision to access critical loopholes that currently exist in the law.
   
• Senate Bill 1174, sponsored by state Sen. Paul Mark, to enable the prosecution of individuals who develop and share sexually expressive images of children that are technologically edited, collaged, morphed, or AI-generated.
   
• Senate Bill 1166 to require schools to screen prospective employees through various hiring practices.
   
• Senate Bill 1163 to impose prison sentences and adults in positions of authority, trust, or supervision over a child under 18 who sexually abuses that child, and states that the child shall be deemed incapable of consenting in any way to the acts being prosecuted.

"All these bills add more protection for children and young adults in cases of sexual abuse, and I encourage all of you here today to advocate for them with your representatives in urging their support for this needed reform," he said.

"As I wrap up today, let today be a reminder of the importance of us working together to increase awareness while promoting the social and emotional well-being of children and families in safe, stable, and nurturing environments."

Mark pledged the state delegation's continued support of child welfare resources despite uncertainties at the federal level.

"It's so important to me that we make investments in the resources and in the areas where we can protect the most vulnerable, and I can't think of a more vulnerable group or a more wonderful group than children," he said.

"And so thank you for this call to action as we go through our budget process. I think people know there's some turmoil in Washington, and it's going to have an impact, unfortunately, on our state budget but I know that the four of us are committed to bringing as many resources we can back to Berkshire County in spite of a challenging budget year and making sure that this is an area that is definitely highlighted."

Last year, District Attorney Timothy Shugrue's office was unable to press charges against a former instructor at Miss Hall's School, Matthew Rutledge, for alleged sexual relations with students because they were of consenting age.

Davis filed a companion legislation to the age of consent loophole bill presented by Sen. Joan Lovely of the Second Essex District.

"Right now, a teacher, a coach, a clergy member, can legally have sex with a 16 or 17-year-old under their supervision. Why? Because the law says they're old enough to consent, but there's no such thing as consent when there's coercion. Power and trust are not loopholes. They are responsibilities," she said.

"Thirty-nine other states have closed this loophole. It's time Massachusetts does too. If you exploit your power to harm a child, there must be real consequences. No ifs, no ands, and no buts. The urgency of fixing this law was made clear in the Miss Hall's School right here in Pittsfield, a glaring example of how our system fails to protect our children."

State Rep. John Barrett III said there are more reports of child abuse today than 40 years ago, maybe because people are talking more about it. But services for those children are better.

"What I'm really feeling good about today, in a sense, is that the speaker of the House came out the other day and made a commitment to all of us, that $1 billion will be committed to child care, and another $375 million to C3 [Commonwealth Cares for Children] grants that are going out, too, which is very important," he said.

"In other words, while we have to backtrack in other areas, we still remain committed to the young children of this state and commonwealth who have faced the tragedy of going through what these shoes today represent."

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