April is-
National Child Abuse
Prevention Month Part 1

Reducing Child Abuse & Neglect

Tools to develop a prevention program

Overview.

Prevention is the best hope for reducing child abuse and neglect and improving the lives of children and families. Strengthening families and preventing child abuse requires a shared commitment of individuals and organizations in every community. The following resources discuss the framework for child abuse and neglect prevention, provide information on what to do when children are at risk for abuse or neglect, and link to State, Federal, and national organizations that support prevention initiatives. Child Maltreatment Prevention: Past, Present, and Future

Promoting Child & Family Well-Being

Promoting well-being involves understanding and addressing child, youth, and caregiver functioning in physical, behavioral, social, and cognitive areas. A focus on well-being should be integrated into all aspects of child welfare services. Particularly in the field of child abuse prevention, addressing child and family needs related to well-being is a critical part of reducing risks and increasing safety and protective factors. This section presents information on protective factors and child, youth, parent, and caregiver well-being. It also offers resources about marriage, fatherhood, and parenting, as well as building the capacity of programs and systems to promote well-being. promoting well-being through understanding child-youth-caregiver interaction

Public Awareness & Creating Supportive Communities

Public awareness can be part of an overall approach to preventing child abuse and neglect. Find resources and information on sharing a message and educating the public, making an economic case for prevention, and creating community support and partnerships to prevent child abuse and neglect. Media Toolkit Reach Your Community

Prevention programs

You can visit websites that specialize in information about child abuse, family violence, and participate in the discussion forums. Many will also let you join an email list to talk with other victims of abuse. With an email list, when any member sends an email, everyone who is subscribed to that email list receives it. (This can mean getting a lot of email, read the user agreements before signing up). There are a number of email lists you can join, as well as websites to visit. As there are too many to list them all, below are a few places to get you started. Child Maltreatment Prevention: Past, Present, and Future

Developing & Sustaining Prevention Programs

Find resources on developing a prevention program, conducting a community needs assessment, collaboration and partnerships, funding strategies, and making an economic case for prevention in your community or State.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) Describes a strategy for child maltreatment prevention organized around four areas of public health research and practice: measuring impact, creating and evaluating new approaches to prevention, applying and adapting effective practices, and building community readiness. Strategic Direction for Child Maltreatment Prevention

Evidence-based practice

Use the following resources to learn more about child abuse prevention programs and strategies supported by scientific research. These resources can help programs choose and implement evidence-based practices that will suit the needs of the families and communities they serve. FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2009) Describes and categorizes the level of evidence for effectiveness of almost 30 child abuse prevention and family support programs based on the ratings they received from four national registries for evidence-based programs. Evidence-Based and Evidence-Informed Programs

Evaluating Prevention Programs

Evaluation is a critical element of child abuse prevention program sustainability, as funders and policymakers increasingly ask for evidence of the effectiveness of the programs they fund. It is also necessary for child abuse and neglect prevention and family support programs to conduct evaluation activities as part of their ongoing quality assurance efforts. Use the following resources to identify evaluation strategies, make an economic case for child abuse prevention, and find results of prevention program evaluations.
ENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) (2007) Provides information on the background, vision, and guidelines regarding requirements for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) efficiency measures for federally funded CBCAP programs. FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

Related articles

• Prevention is the best hope for reducing child abuse and neglect and improving the lives of children and families; April is child abuse prevention month  Steps to preventing child abuse Part 2

• Preventing Child Maltreatment and Promoting Well-Being Guide (4.2KB)
• Child Welfare Information Gateway read more>>
• Volunteering to Help Victims of Abuse

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