April 2009Vol. 10, No. 3April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month
"Strengthening Families and Communities" is this year's theme for National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The theme encourages service providers and concerned individuals to recognize and build on existing strengths within families and communities in order to support all families in providing a safe, loving environment for their children.
In keeping with this theme, a new, free resource is available to support service providers who work with parents, other caregivers, and their children. Strengthening Families and Communities: 2009 Resource Guide highlights strategies to strengthen families by promoting five key protective factors that prevent child abuse and neglect:
- Nurturing and attachment
- Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development
- Parental resilience
- Social connections
- Concrete supports for parents
The guide includes resources in English and Spanish for workers to share with caregivers, as well as sample talking points, press releases, and other outreach materials for increasing community involvement in supporting families. The guide was developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Children's Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, its Child Welfare Information Gateway, the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, and numerous national organizations and parents.
View or order the Resource Guide on the Child Welfare Information Gateway website: [Editor's note: this link no longer exists]
Child Welfare Information Gateway has also improved the selection of child abuse prevention resources offered on its website to support child welfare and related professionals this month and throughout the year. Enhancements to the website include:
- Updated resources throughout the Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect section, including new webpages on early childhood and home visitation programs
- A new look for the National Child Abuse Prevention Month website
- A 30-second multimedia animation for marketing outreach that will launch in April to promote online prevention resources
Visit the Child Welfare Information Gateway website to find these resources and more: