Several shocking child abuse cases in Polk County in recent weeks have some child advocacy groups pushing for more community involvement.
Law enforcement and social service agencies gathered Saturday in Winter Haven for a Crime Prevention expo, and one of the topics was preventing that abuse.
In the past couple of weeks, a Polk County mother has been accused of locking her 4 year old in a kitchen cabinet for hours on end. A Lakeland father is behind bars charged with head-butting his own baby. In Lake Wales, police say a woman chained her child's hands together, and then stabbed him multiple times.
They are the types of crimes that concern Polk County Ad Litem volunteer Christy Ford.
"These children have burdens that are so great," Ford said.
Ford handed out educational information to families during the expo on Polk State College's Winter Haven campus. She said what's happening is alarming.
"The number of children that have entered foster care in Polk County has increase greatly - over 40 percent in the past five years," she said.
She and other social service groups, along with law enforcement at the event, pushed the importance of working together.
"The solutions that we need to seek to our problems are here in the partnerships between our local governments and our citizens," said Winter Haven Police Chief Gary Hester.
To prevent some of the crimes they've been seeing, Chief Hester asked community members to communicate what's going on in their neighborhoods to those who are here to help.
"The resources need to be available for these parents to learn proper coping techniques," said Ford.
Ford said by the time a child needs their agency; many have already been through neglect or abuse. But other organizations in the county can provide parenting tips, for those who might be struggling.