Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (Secondary)

What is Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect as it relates to child welfare?

Prevention from the child welfare perspective is about targeted activities aimed at educating the public about child abuse and neglect, with the goal of stopping it before it happens, and/or intervening early when it has already occurred to prevent it from happening again.

Borrowing from the public health community, professionals working to prevent child abuse and neglect have utilized a framework of prevention services consisting of three levels of service. These levels of service are defined as primary prevention programs, directed at the general population (universal); secondary prevention programs, targeted to individuals or families in which maltreatment is more likely (high risk); and tertiary prevention programs, targeted toward families in which abuse has already occurred (indicated).

Primary prevention consists of activities designed to impact families prior to any allegations of abuse and neglect, and include public education activities, such as parent education classes, family support programs, public awareness campaigns, etc. Secondary prevention consists of activities targeted to families that have one or more risk factors, including families with substance abuse or domestic violence issues, teenaged parents, parents of special needs children, single parents and low-income families. These services include parent education classes for high-risk parents, respite care, home visiting programs, crisis nurseries, etc. Tertiary prevention consists of activities targeted to families in which abuse has already occurred and include early intervention and targeted services, such as individual, group, and family counseling; parenting education - such as Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT); community and social services referrals for substance abuse treatment, domestic violence services, psychiatric evaluations, and mental health treatment; infant safe-haven programs; family reunification services (including follow-up care programs for families after a child has been returned); temporary child care; etc.

Why was Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect chosen as a topic by the Advisory Committee?

Prevention was chosen by the Advisory Committee because it plays a key role in the continuum of child welfare services. Child safety is the primary goal for child protection agencies. Per the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act "the failure to coordinate and comprehensively prevent and treat child abuse and neglect threatens the futures of thousands of children and results in a cost to the Nation of billions of dollars in tangible expenditures, as well as significant intangible costs." To prevent child abuse and neglect, or to intervene early when a situation is brought to the attention of child protection agencies, is a shared community responsibility. With the introduction and implementation of the Differential Response approach in California, information regarding proven prevention and early intervention strategies is critical to the continuation of the child welfare improvements states are seeking to achieve. Promoting safe, healthy, and nurturing environments are essential to the well-being of children and their families.

Teresa Contreras, MSW

Retired Chief, Office of Child Abuse Prevention