June 2002Vol. 3, No. 5Nominate a Child Abuse Prevention Program
The Children's Bureau's Office on Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) announces the kick-off of the nomination period for an exciting new initiative entitled "Emerging Practices in Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention." With the assistance of Caliber Associates and in partnership with the prevention community, OCAN is conducting a comprehensive review of child abuse and neglect prevention initiatives around the nation. The objective of this review is to elevate our understanding of the kinds of programs and initiatives that are operating across the country and share the best available information on emerging and promising practices with the child abuse and neglect prevention field.
The best information about child abuse and neglect prevention is available to practitioners and researchers working in the field every day. Therefore, OCAN has implemented a nomination process whereby professionals, involved at the program level, can nominate programs and initiatives that, based on strong performance, are instructive to the entire field and warrant national attention. The 2-month nomination period ends August 15, 2002.
The nature of the child abuse and neglect prevention field calls for a nomination process focused on two main categories of programs:
- Effective Programs and initiatives that have shown positive prevention outcomes, which can be organized into two tiers:
--Demonstrated Effective programs, where experimental research designs have been employed that generated positive conclusive outcome
--Reported Effective programs, where quasi- or non-experimental methods have been employed that generated positive outcomes
- Innovative Programs and initiatives that have overcome a particular challenge or obstacle to success through innovative methods or are showcasing an exciting new research-based initiative in prevention.
Nominators are asked to determine the appropriate track in which to nominate a program based on the instructions provided in the Nomination Procedures and Application and adhere to all guidelines pertaining to that track.
The Office on Child Abuse and Neglect anticipates that this initiative will offer new insights regarding current child abuse and neglect prevention programming. The initiative is expected to culminate in a publication suitable for widespread dissemination. The publication will summarize the nominated programs and initiatives, educate the field about innovative strategies for success, and provide an objective, professional context for information on program effectiveness.
For more information and nomination forms, visit the Prevention Month website at http://www.calib.com/nccanch/prevmnth/nominate/index.cfm. (Editor's note: this link is no longer available.)