PARENTS ON BRINK OF CHILD ABUSE GET CRISIS AID

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E4D91638F934A25757C0A965948260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=1
A young single mother that lives in Brooklyn, has a daughter who is blind and a three year old son who is very hyper. the child once stuffed a cat down the toilet, and had also caused a minor fire. this mother broke down one day after being notified that her electricity would be shut off, and after discovering that her son had poured red ink all over her furniture. she then felt very stressed and had to find a solution and help not to neglect or abuse of her child without wanting to do so. she went for help at the New York Founding Hospital this is a program that helps prevent child abuse. they hold up children for one or two nights. in the last five years reports of child buse have increased up to 100 percent according to the national comittee for the prevention of child abuse in Chicago. this center was established last April by the medical director Dr Vincent J. Fontana as an "island of safety". theis center was opened after Dr Fontana found out about three New York City children dying of abuse in one week in 1980. she demanded that if no help was avaible to help such parents in these cases she would resign. this nursery can hold up to 10 children per night and it is not yet widely known about 247 children have stayed from 188 different families that have gone seeking for help during the first year. the center has also received up to 2,335 calls on the parent hot line at the hospital. most children admitted on the center are under 6 years of age. in this mother's case the center helped her enroll her son in a part time daycare and also offered her a weekly program in mothering. most parents are afraid to go out and ask for help concerning these cases, afraid that their child might be taken away . Flo Ceravalo the crisis nursery assistant director states that "to help a child one must connect with the parent".