Protecting the vulnerable

A child drowns after his mother leaves him alone in the bathtub to answer the phone.

Another child is suffocated in her sleep when her father rolls over on her.

Every year in Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Children & Families investigates cases where children die because of abuse and neglect.

Most of these deaths are caused by neglect, and I bet that is surprising to many of you.

Of course, we hear on the news when children are beaten, injured and murdered. Tragically, that does happen.

But in this county alone, our department has investigated 161 deaths from abuse and neglect in the past six years. That's more than three elementary school classrooms full of children.

The good news: Most of these deaths are entirely preventable.

Sixty percent of the deaths are caused by drowning and unsafe sleeping practices.

That's why our department has joined hands with the Children's Board of Hillsborough County and the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County to bring more awareness to local residents about how to prevent these tragedies.

Thanks to partners that include CBS Outdoor billboards and HART, child safety information will be featured in an advertising campaign throughout the county for the next year.

The purpose of the campaign is to heighten public awareness on how to keep a child safe and to give families information so that they know where to go for help.

Parents need to remember to never leave a child alone in a bathtub, pool or near any other body of water for "just a minute." A child can drown in under five minutes.

Parents can learn how to make sure their baby sleeps safely. Infants should not co-sleep with parents or siblings. They should be placed alone on a safety-approved mattress or other infant-sleeping area.

We know that bad things happen to children. We know that accidents occur. But we also know that families can be offered help and that children's lives can be saved.

This campaign is gaining momentum as private businesses and nonprofit agencieswork together to leverage their resources against preventable child deaths.

We want people to believe it is everyone's business to keep kids in our community safe.

For families in need of help, contact 813-229-2884 or go to www.dreamsworthgrowing.com.

If you believe a child is being abused or neglected, please call our child abuse hotline at 1-800-962-2873.