Allendale County DSS reports 29 child-protection cases, 51 children involved

The child-safety message in Barnwell carried a harder edge for Allendale County: Susan Jerkins of the Barnwell County Department of Social Services said the county’s child protective services office currently has 29 cases involving 51 children. Across the county line, Barnwell County DSS is handling 42 cases involving 81 children.

At the April 28 awareness walk, the pinwheels and blue shirts were part of South Carolina’s Child Abuse Prevention Month observance, but the numbers behind the display were more sobering. Jerkins said Allendale County had five indicated or found child-abuse cases between April 1, 2025 and April 1, 2026. Barnwell County had 22 during the same period. For Allendale families, that turns prevention from a slogan into a public safety issue already playing out in local homes.

Children’s Trust of South Carolina’s 2024-2025 county profile adds broader context. Allendale County had 1,396 children under 18 in 2024. The profile lists an intake rate of 58.7 per 1,000 children, a substantiated-investigation rate of 6.3 per 1,000 families, an all-types-of-abuse rate of 0.72 per 1,000 and an all-types-of-neglect rate of 4.30 per 1,000. It also shows 23.2% of intakes were referred to Family Centered Community Support Services, a sign that some families are being steered toward help before a case escalates.

South Carolina Department of Social Services says April is officially Child Abuse Prevention Month and that the pinwheel is its most visible symbol because it represents healthy, happy children. About 150 organizations and agencies statewide take part. The agency also says South Carolina ranked 41st in the nation for child well-being in the latest Kids Count Data Book, a reminder that the state’s child-protection challenges are bigger than one county or one event.

The practical takeaway for Allendale County is direct: report concerns early. South Carolina DSS says suspected abuse or neglect should be reported to its 24-hour hotline at 1-888-CARE4US, or 1-888-227-3487. The agency says certain professionals are mandated reporters under state law because they are in a position to notice warning signs and act before a child is further harmed. DSS says its role is to keep children safe at home when possible, or remove them when necessary.

The Barnwell event has become a recurring fixture, with an annual Child Abuse Awareness Walk listed at Veteran’s Park in Barnwell. But the lasting meaning for Allendale County is in the caseload itself: 29 active cases, 51 children, and a local response that still depends on adults stepping in early enough to make a difference.