Historically, definitions of “prevention” in child welfare have been incident-focused, and activities focused on preventing the recurrence of maltreatment or entry into care. However, with the benefit of research and experience gained, child welfare and prevention professionals now better understand that to prevent maltreatment, it is necessary to strengthen the ability of communities to support children and families so that children can thrive at home. Rather than being incident-focused, prevention efforts must be holistic and include an examination of the broader child, family, and community characteristics and experiences that ensure well-being. These positive impacts or characteristics that promote well-being also reduce the likelihood of child maltreatment. In short, maltreatment does not occur in isolation within a family, but within the context of community and societal factors that either positively or negatively impact child and family wellbeing. These factors may include the following:
- Economic stability or prevalence of poverty;
- Access to quality education and job opportunities;
- Availability of safe and affordable housing;
- Transportation, safe neighborhoods, and environment;
- Prevalence of racism, discrimination, and violence;
- Access to healthy foods and physical activity;
- Access to high-quality child care; and
- Access to health care, including behavioral health and substance use treatment when needed.
In addition to these community and societal factors, protective factors within families also promote well-being, reducing the likelihood of maltreatment. These protective factors include:
- Parental resilience;
- Social connections;
- Knowledge of parenting and child development;
- Social and emotional competence of children; and
- Concrete supports.
More detailed information on protective factors and how to apply them to work with families can be found in
SOP C3.10 Strengthening Families. Improving or ensuring child and family well-being by strengthening families in their communities is the best upstream approach to prevention before problems occur or escalate. However, prevention efforts also include programs and initiatives to prevent repeat maltreatment or prevent entry into care if an incident of maltreatment has already happened. Rather than being incident-focused, approaches that consider the broader context most effectively promote well-being and provide long-term safeguards against maltreatment. Effective prevention efforts must have impacts beyond the individual and also address family, community, and societal factors.
Prevention and well-being efforts can occur on three different levels, and the most effective and well-balanced approach considers what is necessary to target all three.
- Primary prevention efforts ensure families have access to needed resources and support within their community. These are typically resources and supports that benefit all families and are readily available to families in a thriving community. Examples might include public awareness campaigns about positive parenting, access to affordable high-quality child care, home visiting programs for new parents (e.g., Health Access Nurturing Development Services (HANDS)), access to pediatric care, and opportunities for family income.
- Secondary prevention efforts create opportunities or meet the specific needs of families with particular circumstances, challenges, or needs. These services are targeted to address specific family needs and are shown to lower the prevalence of child maltreatment in communities. These services may include parenting education and supports for teen parents, early intervention services, respite for families of children with special needs, or concrete supports for families living in poverty.
- Tertiary prevention services are provided to families in which child maltreatment has already occurred with the goal of preventing recurrence and entry into care, as well as facilitating reunification of children in care. Some examples of tertiary prevention services in Kentucky include the Family Preservation and Reunification Services (FPRS), Kentucky Strengthening Ties and Empowering Parents (KSTEP), and Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START).