MIDVALE, Utah — There have been three tragic cases of parents being booked under charges of harming their babies, just this week. But, experts and advocates want to remind people that there are resources that can help.
The Family Support Center runs Crisis Nurseries in Midvale.
"We've had parents with several young children who say, ‘I just need a nap’ or ‘I need to sleep for a bit,” said Allison Hiller who works at the crisis nursery. “We've had parents who need to go to the grocery store, or if they had a doctor's appointment they didn’t want to take their children to."
These are places for parents and caregivers to drop their kids off for free, and they have no one else to watch them. It’s a safe space with no judgment from the professionals who are there to help. "I think it’s extremely important and it just offers them a safe place for their children to go and just a safe place for parents to get some help,” added Hiller.
The crisis nurseries are in homes across the Salt Lake Valley. Kids can play, eat and sleep here as well. They accept kids from birth to 11 years.
Prevent Child Abuse Utah also has other resources that can help, like home visits.
"Parents that I have spoken with say, I should just know how to do this. I should just know how to be a good parent.. But why do we think that? There’s a disconnect there,” said Laurieann Thorpe, executive director for Prevent Child Abuse Utah.
She explained that there needs to be more conversations about helping struggling families.
"I think sometimes they’re missing some tools, and we can give that," she said. "We can provide that, we can help and support families."
The crisis nurseries can support families of all income levels if parents or caregivers need a break. They can also help in situations where the parents need their kids to be someplace safe while they do what they need to do to care for their children.
"Overwhlemed with stress, and anxiety or depression -- they were able to bring their children here, and have that time to relax, fix whatever problem they have, or get the help they needed, so they are able to take care of their children when we give their children back to them,” added Hiller. "When they come back, the parents are usually sometimes in tears, but it’s for a different reason - its more out of relief of, thank you, I just needed this.”
On Monday, a woman in Riverdale was arrested after allegedly killing her 2-month-old son following "multiple incidents of abuse over the past two weeks."
On Tuesday, a Provo mother was arrested for allegedly nearly killing her 3-month-old infant son, leaving him with multiple serious injuries that required life-saving care. Arresting documents show that the woman admitted to police that she got angry with her baby because he would not eat and shook the baby before throwing him onto her bed. The baby's father said that she "was not sure if she should be alone with her baby."
On Wednesday, an 18-year-old father in West Jordan was arrested on multiple counts of aggravated child abuse. Documents show he told police, he got upset when the 4-month-old child would not stop crying, and would place “both his hands around the child’s neck.”
If you or someone you know is struggling and just need a spot to drop your kids off while you take a break, you can contact a crisis nursery through the family support center website here.
You can also call 211 for other resources as well.
