This fact sheet provides a starting point for community members who want to establish a child abuse and neglect prevention program. The steps described here are common to most prevention initiatives. Because each community is unique, the process will unfold differently in each. The three main phases of launching a prevention program are planning, implementation, and continuation.

PHASE ONE: PLANNING

During the planning phase, community members need to take steps to mobilize support, assess needs, secure funding, and plan for evaluation.

Mobilizing community support. In some communities, a well-publicized and tragic incident catalyzes community efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect. In other communities, an individual or group might build on a general community awareness and concern to create a formal prevention program aimed at keeping children safe and families strong. Potential stakeholders in prevention efforts include educators, law enforcement officers, health and human services staff, community leaders (such as presidents of neighborhood associations), clergy and spiritual leaders, parents, local government personnel, and business leaders.

Assessing community resources. A community resource assessment gathers information about community assets as well as gaps in services. Identified stakeholders help assess the scope and quality of services by pooling information from their own organizations and agencies as well as gathering demographic data. Many colleges and universities provide technical assistance to communities conducting resource assessments.

Selecting the prevention program design. Prevention programs take many forms including family resource centers, home visiting programs, parenting education programs, and public awareness campaigns.

Planners will use the information gathered through the assessment to design a program appropriate for their community. Whatever design they select, planners need to ensure that the prevention program reflects an understanding of, and respect for, cultural norms that influence child rearing. One way that prevention programs can bridge cultural gaps is by delivering services and materials in languages other than English. Draw on a particular cultural community's strengths by involving members in planning the program. Involve parents in developing and delivering services as board members, task force members, and volunteers.

Securing funding. Some communities might have sufficient resources to launch a prevention program, but many communities will need to secure funding, possibly from more than one source. The four main sources of funds for prevention programs are the Federal government, State governments, foundations, and corporations. Along with start-up funds, planners must consider how they will fund the program over the long haul.

Evaluating the program. Planners should build evaluation into the prevention program and budget. An evaluator should participate in program planning and be viewed by the community as an integral part of the program. Emphasizing evaluation right from the start can help persuade funding sources to commit financial resources to the program. Again, many colleges and universities can provide technical assistance in designing and implementing program evaluations.

PHASE TWO: IMPLEMENTATION

During phase two, the group recruits and trains staff, starts delivering services, and begins to use feedback to improve service delivery.

Recruiting and training staff. When recruiting staff, consider an individual's ability to understand and meet the community's expectations and to deliver services with cultural sensitivity and competence. The composition of the staff should mirror the community being served. Recruiting neighborhood residents as staff will bring credibility to program efforts. Consider serving as a training ground for neighborhood residents re-entering the workforce or a field placement for graduate students in social work and early childhood education. Remember that an important part of staff training is to treat community members with respect and dignity.

Ensuring access. Make sure that the program's target audiences have easy access to services. Locate programs in the community to be served. Ensuring access to public transportation, providing child care, and linking the program to established community programs and institutions increase the likelihood that residents will take part in the program. Get the word out about the program using materials and channels familiar to community members-notices in grocery stores, brochures in medical clinics, and advertisements in church bulletins and free community papers.

Using feedback to improve services. Build frequent opportunities for information updates and feedback into the program. Ask for feedback from community members who come back for services and from those who don't. Schedule staff retreats to review progress and update strategic plans. Look at both tangible and intangible results. Celebrate even the smallest success with the community as a whole.

PHASE THREE: CONTINUATION

For programs to succeed in the long-term in preventing child abuse and neglect, they must become a permanent part of the community's public landscape and secure long-term funding. The keys to securing continuation funding are:

• Start early
• Establish a team that includes program personnel and community supporters
• Develop a plan that targets sources and has a step-by-step timeline
• Generate data showing the effectiveness of the program
• Work at continuation every day.

Program framers must solidify relationships with funding sources and develop a team of supporters that are knowledgeable about, and feel a sense of ownership of, the prevention program. Program staff, board members, volunteers, consumers, referral sources, and community leaders are all part of the team that will help embed the program in the community.

Utilization data (e.g., number of participants served, amount of services offered) are helpful, but outcome data are critical. What difference does the program make? If this program is not continued, what will the community lose? What costs, economic and human, will be incurred? Programs that last are able to show that they work.

RESOURCES

Community Collaboration and Assessment

The Asset-Based Community Development Institute
Institute for Policy Research
Northwestern University
2040 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208-4100
847-491-8712
Web site: http://www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html

Prevention Program Designs

The National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
800-FYI-3366 or 703-385-7565
Web site: http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/

Evaluation

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation
One Michigan Avenue East
Battle Creek, MI 49017-4058
616-968-1611
Web site: http://www.wkkf.org/pubs/Knowledgebase/Pubs/RenderRes.aspx?CID=0&ID=755

Funding

The Department of Health and Human Services
Children's Bureau
330 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20447
202-205-8618
Web site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/funding/index.htm

The Foundation Center
79 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
212-620-4230
Web site: http://fdncenter.org

Children's Trust and Prevention Funds State Contacts

Continuation/Sustainability

The Community Tool Box
University of Kansas
Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development
4082 Dole Center
Lawrence, KS 66045
785-864-0533
Web site: http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/tools.htm

State Contacts

The following resource lists provide State-specific information:

Community-Based Family Resource and Support Programs
State, American Indian, and Migrant Contacts

Prevent Child Abuse America State Contacts