County highlights Child Abuse Prevention Month

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Mesa County and other Grand Valley organizations are taking part in highlighting National Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) month.
'Child abuse happens anywhere and everywhere, really,' says Grand Junction Police Department (GJPD) Detective Lauren Archuleta.
'I've handled some cases where it's in a daycare setting, in a school setting or in a private home setting.'
WesternSlopeNow recently reported on a child abuse case involving online child sexual exploitative material. The man was arrested after multiple tips. These are the types of cases the GJPD works on.
Archuleta says officers are trained by the Western Slope Center for Children to work on these delicate cases.
'We have a lot of trainings that they (Western Slope Center for Children) host monthly, so, we can stay up to date on the current practices for investigating child abuse cases and making sure that we are in the know.'
The Western Slope Center for Children opened in 1997 and has had a relationship with the GJPD since then.
Executive Director for the Western Slope Center for Children Scott Barker says, since opening its doors, the center has served more than 22,000 children and their families who have gone through abuse and neglect scenarios.
In 2024, the center recorded 281 visits. Barker anticipates that annual number to go up.
'We just got done with our stats through March, for quarter one, we've seen 89 children through the course of the year thus far, puts us on pace for about 360 total for the year.'
The center offers victim advocacy services, forensic interviewing, medical exams and mental health treatment.
Division Director for the Child Welfare and Adult Protection for the Mesa County Department of Human Services Joe Kellerby says if you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, call their hotline.
'Our child protection hotline is 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (970) 242-1211.'
Helpful websites are listed below.
Home Page | Center for Children
Child Protection | Mesa County
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