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Blue pinwheels honoring National Child Abuse Prevention Month are shown outside of the Utah County Children's Justice Center in American Fork on Saturday, April 19, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Blue pinwheels signifying National Child Abuse Prevention Month are shown in this undated photo outside of the Utah County Children's Justice Center in Provo.

Courtesy Utah County Children's Justice Center

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Blue pinwheels signifying National Child Abuse Prevention Month are shown outside of the Utah County Children's Justice Center in American Fork on Saturday, April 19, 2025.

Curtis Booker, Daily Herald

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Blue pinwheels sit and spin in the wind outside of the Utah County Children’s Justice Center locations in American Fork and Provo throughout the month of April.

The gesture aligns with National Child Abuse Prevention Month, observed annually each April in efforts to support and strengthen families while exploring ways of preventing child abuse and neglect.

Child abuse can look different in each situation.

According to the Mayo Clinic, it can occur in the physical, emotional, sexual or medical form.

And in many cases, the abuse is done by someone the child knows or trusts — like a parent, relative or another loved one.

Heather Allen, associate director of the Utah County CJC in American Fork, says one of the first steps to awareness and prevention is alerting the authorities if you suspect child abuse is happening.

Utah state code mandates that anyone over the age of 18 who has reason to believe a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect must report it.

“Every adult in Utah is a mandated reporter,” Allen said. “You don’t have to be in any specialized role to report. So if there is any suspicion of abuse, you should absolutely be calling it in to report.”

Since the early 1990s, the CJC has provided wraparound services, including therapy, medical exams and connections to community partners for additional support for children and families surrounding child abuse incidents.

“We’re looking to give them resources so that they can get help throughout their journey of healing, as well as through the legal process,” Allen said.

They’re referred cases through law enforcement or child protective services, thus why Allen emphasized the importance of reporting.

The organization recently expanded services to northern Utah County with its American Fork facility, joining their longtime Provo center.

Allen said she believes many still aren’t exactly clear on what it is they do.

“They hear Children’s Justice Center and think that we house kids, or that we’re providing different services than what we do,” she said. “However, we do want to raise more awareness about what we do here, because it can help alleviate some of the stigma and fear about reporting if people know that there is a supportive environment where these children can go to talk about what happened to them.”

According to a Utah Division of Child and Family Services report released earlier this month, during fiscal year 2024 there were 8,791 confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect, stemming from nearly 50,000 reports.

Just over 70% of those who committed the alleged acts were the victim’s parents, and an additional 16% were other relatives.

Allen said, between both centers, in 2024 around 900 children were interviewed by their forensics teams.

They usually interview anywhere between 800 to 1,000 children each year, she noted.

Yet Allen believes there many other cases of child abuse that are going unreported. That could be related to numerous factors, like not wanting to cause family drama, fear of retaliation or not having enough evidence to back up their claims.

“When really they don’t need as much as they think they need to report,” she said. “And so there are people who are hesitant to report for those reasons, or there are victims who are hesitant to come forward because they’re worried about what might happen and what the next steps look like.”

Ultimately, Allen says while April is a reminder of the importance of creating safe, supportive environments for children and families, it’s an effort that is vital year round.

She also stressed the importance of families creating a safe space for children to open up about any potential abuse they may be experiencing.

“Empowering people to talk to their kids, and have open conversations with their kids about this kind of stuff,” Allen added.

Utah County leaders also encourage community members who are interested in supporting the CJC’s efforts to get involved by participating in the organization’s fundraising and awareness campaigns.

On Saturday, Utah County commissioners will host a pickleball tournament with proceeds going toward the Utah County Children’s Justice Center locations.

The event will take place at Hillcrest Park, located at 635 E. 1400 South in Orem.

More information can be found at oremut.seamlessdocs.com.

To learn more about the Utah County Children’s Justice Center, visit https://cjc.utahcounty.gov/.