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May 2008Vol. 9, No. 4Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Child Abuse Prevention

Pathway to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is an online resource that provides a comprehensive approach to the prevention of child abuse through examples of effective actions that have been used to change policies, implement programs, build infrastructure, establish connections, and allocate resources.

Authors Lisbeth Schorr and Vicky Marchand place a strong emphasis on acting strategically across disciplines, systems, and jurisdictions to reduce the cost of abuse and neglect and to promote thriving children, families, and communities. The chapters are organized by six broad goals:

  • Children and youth are nurtured, safe, and engaged.
  • Families are strong and connected.
  • Identified families can access services and supports.
  • Identified families are free from substance abuse and mental illness.
  • Communities are caring and responsive.
  • Vulnerable communities have capacity to respond.

For each goal, there are specific actions to address the issue, with examples of programs and policy initiatives, indicators for measuring progress, ingredients for effective implementation, rationale for believing that identified actions are likely to contribute to desired outcomes, and evidence from research documenting that identified actions did contribute to achieving targeted outcomes.

This publication was funded by the California Department of Social Services, Children and Families Division Office of Child Abuse Prevention. It is intended for use by policymakers, individual practitioners, representatives from government programs, and community-based organizations.

www.pathwaystooutcomes.org/_uploads/documents/pending/PCANPDFFINAL11-14-07.pdf (PDF - 3,646 KB)