Child Safety and Well-being: It Takes a Community to Tackle the Problem of Child Abuse

By Sue Pommerville, LMFT 122862

Hilary Clinton famously adapted the African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Unfortunately, we’ve long since outgrown the idea of a village.

When I started working for what was then DCS (now DCFS) in 1984, there were only 18 Children’s Social Workers (CSWs) serving the entire Antelope Valley. Today we have over 400 CSWs spread across three offices. While the population has exploded, so too has the problem of child abuse. Our community faces a web of intersecting issues: substance use, mental health struggles, domestic violence, physical abuse in all its forms, sexual abuse, severe neglect, emotional harm, and exploitation.

Every parent makes mistakes—even the most loving, devoted caregivers. Accidents happen. But sometimes, beyond mistakes, parents or caregivers face overwhelming stress, trauma, or circumstances that make safe parenting difficult or impossible.

During my tenure as Assistant Regional Administrator for the Palmdale office, I worked relentlessly (with many others) to engage the community in supporting families in need. One of my deepest disappointments was encountering widespread apathy in the Antelope Valley. That apathy was painfully exposed less than 14 months after I retired in March 2012, when tragedy struck with the unfortunate death of Gabriel Hernandez at the hands of his mother and her boyfriend, which sparked community protests and intense media scrutiny of DCFS.

DCFS has a legally mandated responsibility to protect children, but it cannot carry this alone. Real protection requires collective effort: parents, relatives, schools, faith-based groups, local nonprofits, law enforcement, treatment centers, and every caring community member.

What Can the Community Do?

Every individual and organization has a role.

• Relatives can support by babysitting when parents have long commutes or work hours; by offering respite care for overwhelmed caregivers; by sharing parenting wisdom; or by serving as placement resources when children must leave their homes temporarily.

• Faith communities can provide tangible support—food, clothing, housing, or other in-kind aid. They can host parenting classes, offer space for visitation monitoring, and reach out to families affected by homelessness or substance use with empathy, resources, and spiritual encouragement.

• Community agencies should proactively partner with local DCFS offices to ensure that their services are known and accessible. DCFS can only refer families to resources it is aware of.

• Drug treatment and domestic violence centers can anticipate and tailor services for families in crisis in the AV.

• Mental health professionals, such as those at Healing Solutions Family Therapy Center (HSFTC), provide critical support to families. Mental and behavioral health difficulties are strong risk factors for child maltreatment via neglect, physical abuse, or sexual abuse (as documented by Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2025).

What We Here at HSFTC Doing?

At HSFTC, we have over 60 clinicians across Antelope Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, and Kern County, offering culturally responsive, trauma-informed care, including services in English and Spanish. Our offerings include individual, child, couples, family, group, perinatal, and nutritional therapies; trauma modalities such as EMDR and trauma focused yoga; and medication management. We accept most major insurers, Medi‑Cal, Medicare, and offer low-cost cash-pay options.

Our founding philosophy has always been generous access. What began as a solo practice led by Tricia Hamm has grown into a vibrant, multi-location center, with offices in Lancaster (815 W Lancaster Blvd), Valencia (28494 Westinghouse Pl, Ste. 111), and Tehachapi (104 S Robinson St). You can visit us at healingsolutionsftc.org or call (661) 903-8822 to learn more and sign up for therapy services.