Prevent Child Abuse through Strengthening Families

For the 26th year, child and family advocates around the country are raising awareness about what families need to promote children's optimal development and prevent abuse and neglect. April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and as part of this year's activities, the Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, housed within the Children's Bureau in the Department of Health and Human Services, along with the Child Welfare Information Gateway and the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention have released a new resource guide for communities and professionals dedicated to prevention.

"Strengthening Families and Communities: 2009 Resource Guide" offers information, tools, and resources for building Protective Factors in families and communities that can help prevent child abuse and neglect. In the 2009 guide, the Protective Factors, which are drawn from the Strengthening Families approach provide a framework for work with families, while five Levers for Change, also from the Strengthening Families approach, highlight strategies for community- and systems-level work to prevent abuse and neglect. The Guide provides background information about these concepts, and translates them in a variety of tools, like questions for exploring Protective Factors with parents, tip sheets for caregivers, and sample public service announcements.

Post contributed by Judy Langford, Senior Fellow and manager of the Strengthening Families Initiative

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