The Crow Wing County’s Child Protection Team and the Leech Lake Manidoo Ningadoodem (Family Spirit) program were among the winners for work to prevent child abuse.

FamilyWise Services, a child abuse prevention agency and home of Prevent Child Abuse Minnesota after its 2020 merger with Minnesota Communities Caring for Children, announced the winners of the 2021 Pinwheel for Prevention Award in a press release. The agency shares resources with partners, expanding access to services, and leveling conditions for positive childhood experiences to enrich each community and support parents and carers.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and this is the second year agencies help with prevention efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are adapting to the new landscape that the pandemic has created and its implications for child abuse and neglect prevention and are working to understand them,” the press release said. “The risk for our nation’s children of experiencing child abuse and neglect in times of extreme stress and insecurity is quite high. COVID-19 has put additional stress on the lives of parents and carers, such as the loss of jobs, loss of income due to a lack of paid vacation, school and business closings that require new regulations for childcare and homeschool, and food insecurity. “

“FamilyWise is committed to helping parents and caregivers build thriving families and create fertile environments for healthy children through parenting, all-round care and early childhood education,” said Ann Gaasch, General Manager of FamilyWise Services, in a press release . “We work in collaboration with a nationwide network of committed partners who have provided important services and support families with the isolation and stress of the pandemic. The Pinwheel for Prevention Awards are annual recognition for our partners across Minnesota to recognize the important work they do for families in our communities. “

The Crow Wing County Child Protection Team received the award for taking the lead in the annual Brainerd Radiothon to End Child Abuse, answering promises for 11 hours, entering nearly 400 pledges into a new online pledge system, and ultimately raising awareness and support for funds Measures to prevent child abuse.

The Leech Lake Manidoo Ningadoodem (Family Spirit) Program was recognized for the largest, strictest, and only evidence-based home visitation program designed specifically for Native American families. It is used to support new parents in a culturally affirmative way. The program is intentionally offered by Native American paraprofessionals as a core strategy in supporting young Native parents from pregnancy to three years after giving birth.