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C1.5 Family and Community Wellbeing through Secondary Prevention

Legal Authority

Introduction

Secondary prevention efforts in communities also promote child and family well-being but focus on addressing particular challenges, needs, or circumstances faced by families and children. Most often, the specific challenges addressed by secondary prevention efforts are circumstances that increase the likelihood of a child or family coming to the attention of the child protection agency if resources to meet the need are lacking. For example, secondary prevention programs may address poverty, food insecurity, housing instability, needs of adolescent parents, family violence, behavioral health needs of either parents or children, challenges related to the disability of either parent or child, lack of access to medical care, or challenges related to caring for a child with intensive medical needs. Secondary prevention services are shown to lower the prevalence of child maltreatment in communities.

Every community has organizations that focus on providing support and resources to families who may be challenged by specific needs. These organizations may be non-profits, faith-based, or governmental agencies. As families living in poverty may have multiple needs, these organizations often offer comprehensive services and resources in one location. Examples of programs focused on secondary prevention include family support services, the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), Head Start, Kentucky Early Intervention System (KEIS), community mental health centers (CMHC), the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs (OCSHCN), many substance use and recovery programs, parenting education and support for teen parents, respite for families of children with special needs, unemployment or job training services, or concrete supports for families living in poverty. Kentucky Benefits | kynect may also be utilized to identify secondary prevention resources.

Federal Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) funds may be used to support secondary prevention efforts that are community-based family strengthening services. The purpose of this funding is to support and strengthen families in their communities to prevent the need for child welfare intervention. These funds support secondary prevention programs such as Community Collaborations for Children (CCC), Parent Engagement Meetings, and Family Resource Youth Services Centers (FRYSC). It is important to note that CBCAP funding is intended to strengthen families and prevent the need for child protective services (CPS) involvement. These resources may not be used for programs for families who are currently involved with CPS.

The Community Response and Wellbeing Branch of the Division of Prevention and Community Wellbeing (DPCW) is responsible for agency activities related to secondary prevention.

Practice Guidance

A full continuum of child welfare services must include secondary prevention efforts in local communities to meet the needs of children and families who are most likely to come to the attention of the child protection agency.
Both DPCW and local office staff collaborate with secondary prevention programs. It is imperative that staff are familiar with secondary prevention programming in their local communities and refer families to them regularly, especially if the child protection agency will not be involved with the family. Secondary prevention programs and services reduce the likelihood of future need for child protection interventions.

Procedure

DPCW Staff:

Assess the need for the number and type of secondary prevention resources across the state based on available child welfare and partner data;
Plan and collaborate with community partners and those with lived experience to implement and maintain a continuum of prevention programming that is responsive to the needs of families and promote family strengthening;
Work collaboratively with existing partner agencies focused on secondary prevention to improve availability and access to services for families and children;
In accordance with the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), utilize CBCAP and other available funding to collaborate and contract with community partners to develop, operate, expand, and enhance community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect that are accessible, effective, culturally appropriate, and build upon existing strengths that:

Offer assistance to families;
Provide early, comprehensive support for parents;
Promote the development of parenting skills, especially in young parents and parents with very young children;
Increase family stability;
Improve family access to other formal and informal resources and opportunities for assistance available within communities, including access to such resources and opportunities for unaccompanied homeless youth;
Support the additional needs of families with children with disabilities through respite care and other services;
Demonstrate a commitment to involving parents in the planning and program implementation, including involvement of parents of children with disabilities, parents who are individuals with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, and members of other underrepresented or underserved groups; and
Provide referrals to early health and developmental services;

Provide technical assistance to staff and community partners on availability and access to secondary prevention programs and resources.

The SSW:

Works collaboratively with secondary prevention providers that support and strengthen families, including:

Family Support;
FRYSC;
Early Head Start/Head Start
KEIS;
CMHC;
KY Moms
Public preschool
CCC;
Local health departments;
Food banks;
Community-based non-profits offering comprehensive support to families living in poverty;
Faith-based organizations; and
Other local family-serving agencies;

Understands eligibility criteria for key partner agencies and refers families to family-strengthening programs in local communities;
Contacts DPCW for assistance with identifying appropriate resources and services;
Communicates needs and gaps in services to DPCW so that these may be considered for future planning;