April is CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH. Child abuse and neglect encompasses physical, sexual, or emotional abuse or neglect of a child under age 18 by a parent, caregiver, or other custodial individual (e.g., teacher, coach).1
Facts & FigureS In January 2020, there were in Florida.2
18,372 CHILDREN
1,121 (6%) CHILDREN
involved in closed child maltreatment investigations
entered out-of-home care.3
PREVENTION STRATEGIES RISK FACTORS for
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for child maltreatment include:
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child maltreatment include: Q Children under age 4
Q Improving families’ economic supports
Q Parents’ limited knowledge of children’s needs or development
Q Engaging communities to better support parents
Q Family stress, including intimate partner violence
Q Providing quality early childhood care and education
Q Community violence and disadvantage, such as elevated poverty
Q Increasing parenting skills Q Implementing interventions to reduce harm and prevent future risks associated with experiencing child maltreatment
The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare lists many primary preventative programs with promising research evidence. Three are rated as supported or well-supported by research evidence:6 Q Nurse-Family Partnership
Q Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK)
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE FLORIDA
Q Triple P – Positive Parenting Program® System
is the state’s chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America.7
They offer free prevention resources on topics such as healthy child development, self-care for parents and caregivers, and safe sleep practices.8 For more information, please visit preventchildabusefl.org or ounce.org/prevention_resources.html.
Institute Affiliates The Institute has several affiliates who have expertise on child abuse prevention. Learn more about their work in our affiliate directory:
FICW.FSU.EDU/AFFILIATES
Mary Kay Falconer, Ph.D.
Lisa Rapp-McCall, Ph.D., MSW
THE OUNCE OF PREVENTION FUND OF FLORIDA
SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY
Nicole Fava, Ph.D., MSW
Terry Rhodes, D.Min
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
THE OUNCE OF PREVENTION FUND OF FLORIDA
Jessica Felix-Jäger de Weaver, Ph.D., MSW
Riaan van Zyl, Ph.D.
SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Hui Huang, Ph.D.
Winnifred Whittaker, Ed.D., MBA, MSW
FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
WARNER UNIVERSITY
Robin Perry, Ph.D. FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY
Institute spotlight Dr. Robin Perry,
Professor at Florida A&M University, has been an Institute faculty affiliate since 2015. Prior to earning his Ph.D., Dr. Perry worked as both a child protective investigator and service worker. With over 20 years of research experience, Dr. Perry has published and presented his work on topics such as child abuse prevention, child maltreatment fatalities, and the professional training and education of child welfare workers. He has collaborated with various child welfare organizations in Florida, including the Department of Children and Families and the Florida Coalition for Children. In 2014, the State Surgeon General appointed Dr. Perry to the Florida Child Abuse Death Review Committee, to which he was elected current Chair by its members. To learn more about his work, please visit
Dr. Perry’s faculty page on FAMU.EDU
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019). Preventing child abuse & neglect. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/ childabuseandneglect/fastfact.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Fchildabuseandneglect%2Fconsequences.html Florida Department of Children and Families. (2020). Children in investigations by most serious finding – statewide (Jan-2020). Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://www.myflfamilies.com/programs/childwelfare/dashboard/children-in-investigations-by-finding.shtml Florida Department of Children and Families. (2020). Children & young adults entering out-of-home care – statewide (Jan-2020). Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://www.myflfamilies.com/programs/childwelfare/dashboard/c-entering-ooh.shtml Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). CDC injury center, violence prevention, child abuse & neglect: Risk and protective factors. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/riskprotectivefactors.html Fortson, B. L., Klevens, J., Merrick, M. T., Gilbert, L. K., & Alexander, S. P. (2016). Preventing child abuse and neglect: A technical package for policy, norm, and programmatic activities. Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare. (2020). Topic: Prevention of child abuse and neglect (primary) programs. Retrieved March 16, 2020 from https://www.cebc4cw.org/topic/prevention-of-child-abuse-and-neglect-primary-programs Prevent Child Abuse Florida. (n.d.). The Florida chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. Retrieved from the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida website: http://www.preventchildabusefl.org Prevent Child Abuse Florida. (n.d.). Prevention resources. Retrieved from the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida website: https://www.ounce.org/prevention_resources.html
The Florida Institute for Child Welfare seeks to promote safety, permanency, and well-being among the children and families of Florida that are involved with the child welfare system. FICW.FSU.EDU
@FSUChildWelfare