February 2006Vol. 7, No. 1Strategies for Child Abuse Prevention Councils
Child abuse prevention councils (CAPCs) are local organizations composed of professionals, parents, and community representatives who coordinate efforts to prevent and respond to child abuse. They also help provide training for professionals, raise public awareness, and advocate for children and families. Promising approaches for carrying out these tasks are the subject of a new publication from the Child Abuse Training and Technical Assistance (CATTA) Center of the California Institute on Human Services, Sonoma State University.
While Promising Practices for Child Abuse Prevention Councils in California focuses on California CAPCs, the information and strategies included have application for CAPCs throughout the country. Information about membership, policies and procedures, and fundamental tasks could serve as a primer for new members of CAPCs. In addition, a chapter on tools covers the more sophisticated tasks of strategic planning and obtaining funding. Each chapter cites brief but relevant examples of promising practices from various California CAPCs.
A full complement of appendixes completes the publication, providing details about specific California CAPCs, as well as samples of materials and forms to help CAPCs in the following areas:
- Personnel, including an organizational chart, job description, and employee manual
- Administration, including a memorandum of understanding and disclosure forms
- Marketing, including press releases
- Evaluation, including a self-improvement plan
- Fundraising, including components of a grant proposal
http://cirinc.org/pdfdocs/promisingpractices2005.pdf (PDF 897 KB)