Invest in Child and Family Programs: Reduce Risks And Build/Strengthen Family Protective Factors.

Preventing child abuse requires a two-generation approach that supports parents and addresses children’s developmental needs.  Prevention mixed with intervention efforts both provide treatment for the poor economic and health threats on parents and bolster the parent-child relationship.  This combined approach leads to better treatment and improved child permanency outcomes because it addresses the parent’s critical needs and improves the child’s sense of security.

What Can Policymakers Do?

Child Programs:

• Invest in high quality early care and education   (birth to five) that includes Strengthening Families principles.

• Promote access to health insurance.

• Support family leave policies.

• Expand after school centers for teens.  

• Invest in school youth mentoring programs.     

Family/Parent Programs:

• Ensure a knowledge base for all parents : External supports that support a parent’s understanding of the healthy development of children play an important role in child safety and family strengthening, particularly supports with nurturing environments for parents . Normalizing the inclusion of multiple partners in the care of children allows service workers to be more proactive and timely in their supports to vulnerable families and children.  

• Require the provision and coordination of economic supports such as workforce assistance, housing, cash assistance, food stamps, child care subsidies, other income security measures as maltreatment prevention strategies.

• Invest in effective teen and unwanted pregnancy prevention strategies.    

• Fund home visiting programs for specific risk groups.  

• Increase access to parental substance abuse, depression and mental illness supports.

• Require effective services for domestic violence.

• Support fatherhood programs.