Monterey County CPS worried about a dip in calls for suspected child abuse

Monterey County, Calif. (KION)

Monterey County Family and Children Services report a slight decrease in referred child abuse calls during the county's shelter in place orders.

On average CPS workers are responding to five urgent referrals for suspected child abuse, where a CPS worker needs to immediately go check on a child's safety. Since the stay-at-home orders began on March 16, the calls have averaged about one per day.

Deputy Director Laura Neil calls it concerning for her department.

"We're waiting for the shoe to drop," said Neil.

In March there were a told of 225 referred calls, 180 were made prior to the stay at home orders.

The concern is that people, like teachers, who are trained to detect child abuse are not interacting with children.

Many experts worry that isolation during the outbreak is having unintended consequences. Families are tense and lives are stressful under quarantine.

PLEASE CALL 831-755-4661 to report any suspected child abuse.