Preventing child abuse in Oceana and Mason counties

If it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to protect them. Incredible organizations across Michigan have taken up that calling, including Children Trust Michigan and its network of partners throughout the state. In Oceana and Mason counties, Trinity Health Muskegon serves as the lead agency for Children Trust Michigan councils, helping to coordinate partners, guide local strategy, and keep prevention efforts moving forward. Together, this network worked hard in 2025 to bring resources and programs to our community in hopes of strengthening families and preventing child abuse and neglect. 

The Problem

According to the state of Michigan, nearly 27,000 kids were the victims of maltreatment in 2020. In 2024, thanks in part to advocacy efforts across the state, that number dropped to 22,634. While the steady decline has been encouraging, more work needs to be done to ensure as many children are protected as possible. 

Prevention is our mission

The work prevention is framed in the five protective factors: Parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete supports in times of need, and social and emotional competence in children. Research shows that these five factors reduce children abuse and neglect by providing parents with the tools and skills necessary to parent effectively. Each of the protective factors is vital, but most important is what they do together to create stability in families. 

Through this work, Trinity Health Muskegon brings partners together, supports implementation of programs, and helps ensure resources reach families who need them most. 

Below are the 2025 projects our team carried out, how many people they reached, and how it helped local families:

Working together

Many of these accomplishments would not have been possible without some truly incredible partners in our community. 

Staircase Youth Services Summer Enrichment Program created an environment that resulted in positive and affirming friendships between previously isolated kids. 

Mason County Central Schools hosted its 33^rd annual Family AfFAIR, providing non-judgmental support and resources with interactive, child-friendly activities. 

Fountain Hill Center provided Parent Connection, an education program focused on helping parents to become more effective communicators with their children, empowering families with focused problem-solving skills and strategies. 

And Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month saw cross-county collaboration, family and child engagement, bright blue pinwheel gardens, and a solemn awareness ceremony presided over by Judge Eric Fox.

From the bottom of our hearts, we would like to thank every organization, volunteer, and community member who helped make all these events possible. 

Reporting child abuse

Always remember: If you see something, say something. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has a hotline (855-444-3911) you can call at any time to report child abuse. If the child is in immediate danger, however, call 911. 

Getting involved

If you would like to learn more or volunteer with Children Trust Oceana and Mason County, visit our website or send me an e-mail at alwayh@trinity-health.org.