April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Child Welfare Information Gateway in conjunction with the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services Childrens' Bureau, Office on Child Abuse and Neglect and the FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) is offering free copies of Strengthening Families and Communities – 2010 Resource Guide. The resource guide is developed for service providers and others who work to promote healthy families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Locally, Missouri Children's Trust Fund (CTF) as the state CBCAP lead agency provides copies to each of their community prevention grant partners. Hard copies are also available from Child Welfare Information Gateway.
The booklet includes valuable information about the protective factors that help reduce the risk of child maltreatment, strategies for engaging communities to support families, as well as evidenced-based and evidenced-informed prevention programs. Tip sheets for parents and caregivers are included in English and Spanish. The protective factors help lay the foundation for prevention by helping parents build resiliency and social connections, providing concrete support and resources, and providing parents with knowledge of parenting including the importance of nurturing, attachment and appropriate developmental ages and stages.
Organizations, volunteers, and child advocates are encouraged to use this resource guide in their community throughout the year to promote healthy families and educate others about the cost-saving benefits and positive economic impact of prevention.
