Jefferson County goes blue for child abuse prevention

Raising awareness for Child Abuse Prevention Month, while honoring a long-serving, soon-to-be retiring family court judge, a gathering of Jefferson County child advocates celebrated Go Blue Day Friday, April 8.

Throughout April, Texas Department of Child Protective Services (CPS) offices across the state aim to arm the public with information to help identify, combat and, ideally, prevent child abuse. Nearly all clad in blue to commemorate “Go Blue Day,” Jefferson County CPS workers, along with all manner of officers, investigators, lawyers and judges who work in the system, convened in front of the Beaumont Fire Museum.

“Last year in Texas, 199 children lost their lives to abuse and neglect,” said CPS Spokeswoman Shari Pulliam. “Four of those children were right here in Jefferson County.”

Those working in and around the family court system constantly get calls inquiring what constitutes child abuse, according to local 279th Civil District Court Judge Randy Shelton, one of Jeferson County’s family court judges.

“Physical and emotional child abuse are not always easy to detect, but there are signs,” he said “A dirty, hungry, sleepy child in school is a sign – or a red flag of – abuse. But, what is more important is that you understand why this is occurring.”

Judge Shelton said family courts used to treat all child court cases similarly, whether the family issue revolved around neglect, substance abuse, poverty or a combination. Now, workers seek resolutions for each case in a more nuanced, case-specific manner.

“Last year in Jefferson County, 1,561 child-abuse investigations were completed,” said Pulliam. “There were 799 victims, and 239 children were removed from their homes. While the numbers may be shocking to most of you, they are not to the dedicated and caring case workers who do this thankless job each and every day.”

“Today, we are here to not only remember the children we’ve lost, but also to honor the children who are courageously navigating their lives through the social work system, our CPS system,” said Randi King, chief of the Jefferson County Family Law Division.

Go Blue honoree

To mark the end of 24 years on the bench serving Jefferson County’s “littlest” citizens, CPS workers honored the retiring Judge Larry Thorne, who presides over the 317th Civil District Court.

“While many judges put on their robes, they also put on their egos,” King said. “But when Judge Thorne puts his on, that’s when he sets his ego aside completely.  “The same things make us all happy: reunifications or adoptions, those make us happy. Having to have a young person come to court to tell the story about how they were mistreated, that’s the saddest part of our job. How lucky are we that for the past 24 years we’ve gone through them with Judge Thorne putting our little Texans first.”

“I know you can’t believe it, but I’m at a loss for words right now,” said Judge Thorne after being honored by DPS. Speaking to the gathering of DPS case workers, lawyers and all manner of child advocates, he continued, “If you haven’t figured it out, all of you are the wind beneath these children’s wings.”

“It’s been 45 years of being on state child welfare boards, regional child welfare boards, local child welfare boards, juvenile boards,” Judge Thorne said of his career preceding his retirement from the bench. “I’m not giving up, and I am proud to stand with each and every one of you.”