5 years ago · Leah Fogt · 0 comments
National Child Abuse Prevention Month
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The theme this year is “Strong and Thriving Families.” This month and throughout the year, we have the opportunity as individuals and organizations to play a role in making our community a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents have the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by creating strong and thriving children, youth, and families in our communities.
Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Promoting these factors is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. The factors are:
- Nurturing and attachment
- Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development
- Parental resilience
- Social connections
- Concrete supports for parents
- Social and emotional competence of children
April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children and strengthening families. Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best thing our community can do to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.
In support of these efforts, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, its Child Welfare Information Gateway, the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention and over 30 national prevention partners have created 2019 Prevention Resource Guide: Strong and Thriving Families. The resource guide, designed for service providers who work throughout the community to support families, is available online at https://childwelfare.com/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/resources/resource-guide/.
Another really helpful resource offered for families to build healthy connections and enhance parent-child relationships is the National Child Abuse Prevention Activities Calendar. It can be found in both English and Spanish at https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/preventionmonth/spread-the-word/activity-calendars/.
Categories: Awareness and News, Skills and Resources
