Family Support Programs and
the Prevention of Child Abuse

By The Family Resource Coalition

Overview of Family Support Programs

Family support programs began to appear in the early 1970s and are now proliferating across the country. Initially established as small, grassroots, community-based programs, they are currently growing in number, size, and complexity. The Family Resource Coalition has developed a series of Fact Sheets that provide introductions to different types of family support programs, addressing such issues as: child abuse, family literacy, school readiness, school-linked services, alcohol and other drug abuse prevention, incarcerated parents, comprehensive collaborative services, HIV/ AIDS, teen parents, and welfare reform.

PREMISES OF FAMILY SUPPORT

The influence of the family on a child cannot be overestimated. The family is a child's first source of information and the primary model for how a child experiences relationships. It helps a child begin to communicate and to learn personal and cultural values and beliefs. The family teaches a child ways to live in a complex world, and it provides a child with a sense of belonging and a foundation for self-esteem. Families, and specifically parents, who are confident and effective in these responsibilities are more likely to raise healthy and productive children.

Dramatic changes have occurred in the structure and patterns of family life in the U.S. over the past 20 years. The population has become increasingly mobile, and parents often function without help from extended family. Divorce rates have risen. Many children are born' to unmarried mothers or raised in a single-parent household. Others are "latchkey" children whose parents work outside the home. Family support programs have emerged in response to these changes. The settings in which they operate vary widely, as do the types of services and resources they offer to families. But all programs are geared toward a common goal: increasing the ability of families to successfully nurture their children.

Family support programs emphasize a proactive approach toward the prevention of problems. To this end, they provide supports which can enhance effective functioning within the family, and they foster a sense of family self-sufficiency and empowerment. The structured incorporation of the family into all aspects of programs to enhance a child's development sets family support programs apart from other kinds of services for families.

All family support programs are based on the following assumptions:

• Families have primary responsibility for their children's development and well-being; they need resources and supports that will enable them to fulfill that responsibility effectively.
• Healthy families are the foundation of a healthy society. Families who are unable to promote their children's development ultimately place the entire society at risk.
• Families operate as part of a total system. Children cannot be viewed as separate from their families, nor can families be viewed separately from their communities, their cultural heritage or the society at large. Decisions made on behalf of children must consider the ways in which these various systems are interconnected.
• The systems and institutions upon which families rely for support must assist families' efforts to effectively raise their children. They must adjust and coordinate their services so as not to hinder families' abilities to maintain positive environments for their children.

TYPICAL PROGRAM COMPONENTS

Family support programs operate successfully in diverse communities and settings. Many are separate, free-standing, nonprofit agencies; others are sponsored by churches, hospitals, schools, day-care centers, or colleges and universities. Specific program content and structure are determined by the needs of the families being served, and are designed to complement already existing community services and resources. Most family support programs include the following:

• Life skills training: This may include family literacy, education, employment or vocational training, or enhancement of personal development skills such as problem solving, stress reduction, and communication.
• Parent information classes and support groups: These provide instruction in child development and opportunities for parents to share their experiences and concerns with peers.
• Parent-child groups and family activities, which provide occasions for parents to spend more time with their children
• Drop-in time to provide parents with informal opportunities to spend time with staff members and other parents
• Information and referral services
• Crisis intervention and family counseling to respond to parents' special concerns about their children or specific family issues
• Auxiliary support services such as clothing exchanges, emergency food, and transportation

The Issue of Child Abuse and Neglect

In September 1991, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect declared the state of child maltreatment in the United States a "national emergency." The severity of the crisis was evidenced by disturbing facts: reported cases of abuse and neglect, totaling 2.6 million, had increased 300 percent in the past 15 years; child fatalities had risen 54 percent since 1985. ¹ Better systematic recognition of child abuse and neglect accounted in part for the escalation, however, the dramatic increases suggested more than statistical accuracy. The fact remained that a substantial and growing number of America's children were victims of, or at risk of, serious nonaccidental physical injury, physical neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. The board warned that "[n]o other problem may equal its power to cause or exacerbate a range of social ills." ² Further, the current system of response was described as "fragmented, inadequate, and often misdirected...... overwhelmed and on the verge of collapse." ³

However, child protective efforts have been evolving, from strategies of limited intervention to broader, proactive interventions and prevention. Since 1971, the number of prevention programs has been growing rapidly along with a corresponding increase in evaluations and assessments of the programs' success. ⁴ The focus on identification and treatment of abuse and neglect has shifted to preventive policies and programs composed of public awareness campaigns, parent education and support services, safety education for children, and therapeutic interventions.

Families and Child Abuse Prevention

A working assumption of child abuse prevention programs is that parents neither desire nor intend to batter or neglect their children. That being said, the causes of child abuse vary. In one family, child abuse may result from a parent's lack of knowledge about child development or the circumstances of his or her own childhood. In another, the stress of poverty, combined with a substance abuse problem, may contribute to child maltreatment. Additionally, at-risk parents often lack social supports. In the best of circumstances, raising children can be demanding and frustrating. Parents need a support system. In high-risk neighborhoods, resources are scarce and social isolation common.

Targeting preventive efforts to families at high risk for child maltreatment requires attention to the features and stresses of family life that make conflict inevitable and increase the likelihood of abuse. ⁵

Child abuse usually occurs in families under stress, and in conjunction with other problems. Effective prevention programs address these complex situations with comprehensive, community-based prevention strategies. A successful preventive strategy addresses the needs of all family members and respects cultural values and context. Programs are designed to facilitate healthy family functioning, and to enhance each member's ability to function within the family and community.

Program areas that contribute to a sound prevention strategy are:

• Support programs for new parents, providing education in child development, parent-and-child relationships, and adult relationships; information on community resources; and programs enhancing parent-and-child bonding and infant stimulation
• Education for parents directed toward the creation of social networks and the continuation of instruction in childcare and child development, home-visitor services, and special education support programs
• Early and regular child and family screening and treatment
• Childcare opportunities, including emergency, respite, and crisis-oriented care
• Life skills training for children and young adults in the areas of child development, family management, self-development, methods of seeking help, education in sexuality, family planning, and issues relating to parenting
• Self-help groups and other neighborhood supports
• Family support services, including crisis care programs, home-based programs, counseling services, community resource information, and health care
• Community organization activities
• Public information and education on child abuse prevention

Child Abuse Prevention Program Models

MODEL 1: HEALTHYSTART / HEALTHY FAMILIES

An effective preventive strategy for child maltreatment provides parents with education and support prior to or at the time their first child is born. The Hawaii Healthy Start Program offers a systematic, voluntary approach, targeting at-risk families of newborns. Eligible families are identified at local hospitals, making it possible to identify and serve nearly all at-risk families in a target area, and enabling the project to function as an integral part of a comprehensive health services delivery system.

Healthy Start was initiated by the Hawaii Family Stress Center as a demonstration project from 1985 to 1988. During the demonstration period, 241 families were seen intensively, 176 of whom were served for at least one year. Findings indicated only four cases of neglect-and none of abuse-during the three-year demonstration period. Since 1988, the project has expanded from one site to 11, with the goal of becoming a comprehensive, statewide program serving all at-risk families with children from birth to age five.

The program includes several best practice standards suggested by evaluations of home visitor services and new parent interventions: (1) initiation of services in the hospital following birth, to minimize stigma; (2) initial universal delivery of services, providing more intensive and individualized screening of service needs; (3) referrals of children with developmental delays to a local Zero-to-Three Project; (4) provision of home-based services allowing for an assessment of the child's environment and for modeling the interactions promoted; (5) a long-term commitment, for up to five years, recognizing the necessity of extended intervention; (6) emphasis on social supports and assistance from other sources to ensure, beyond intervention, the safety of the child; (7) operation in the context of a health care system; (8) intensive training and supervision of paraprofessionals who function as home visitors; (9) training for new staff teams and uniform standards for service delivery; and (10) program evaluation.

The National Committee for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA), in partnership with the Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, is working to replicate the Hawaii Healthy Start model across the country, in conjunction with the Hawaii Family Stress Center, the NCPCA chapter network, and state Children's Trust Funds and Maternal and Child Health departments.

MODEL 2: FAMILY-CHILD RESOURCES

Family-Child Resources, Inc., a private prevention and early intervention agency, offers services and support for children and their families in and around York, Pennsylvania. All services are family-centered and many are based in the home, school, or workplace. Family-Child Resources has forged strong partnerships with state and local organizations. Effective working relationships with medical and legal professionals, and with agency and school personnel, have enhanced the quality of services and have contributed to successful replication of the program in both urban and rural settings. Information and consulting services regarding program models, program development, funding, and materials are routinely provided.

Services include:

• Home-based assessment and intervention for high-risk families
• Community-based prevention groups for children being affected by divorce or separation, substance abuse, and/or child abuse
• Elementary school-based student support programs
• Classes, study groups, and presentations to enhance parenting skills
• Perinatal coaching to encourage healthy relationships between parents and their newborns
• Counseling for adults and children
• Custody workshops to assist divorcing parents in helping their children cope with divorce
• Developmental assessment, specialized therapies, and play groups for children birth to three who have developmental delays
• Training and consultation for education, legal, medical, and human services professionals

Family-Child Resources' active participation in committees of professional organizations and state and local policy-setting agencies creates partnerships and alliances and keeps the agency abreast of best practices, legislative changes, and funding sources.

MODEL 3: FRIENDS OF THE FAMILY

Friends of the Family, founded in 1972, is a non-profit community mental health and family support center in Van Nuys, California. Its mission is to foster strong families and the development of resilient children by providing quality mental health and human development programs to mainstream and underserved populations in the Los Angeles area. Friends of the Family's primary goals are to (1) improve family functioning, (2) decrease the incidence of child abuse and neglect, (3) encourage positive parent development, and (4) ameliorate costly social problems through primary prevention.

Friends of the Family's programs include:

• Community mental health program, offering group counseling
• Comprehensive services to adolescent parents
• Domestic violence prevention and treatment program
• Cultural Connections, a program to increase access to counseling by African American and Latino families

Throughout its 23 year-history of providing family support services, Friends of the Family has been known for its flexibility and responsiveness. The organization designs and facilitates the development of programs that are community-based, consumer-driven, and designed for universal access, and that emphasize primary and secondary prevention and health promotion.

MODEL 4: WISCONSIN FAMILY RESOURCE PROGRAMS

A large interdisciplinary committee of educators, health and human services providers, parents, legislators, and state agency representatives developed a legislative proposal for parenting education and support programs that would be universally available to all Wisconsin parents. Wisconsin lawmakers firstappropriated funds in the 1989-1991 biennium. Three key features of the programs are especially notable: (1) they are available to all families within their communities, (2) they emphasize prevention-oriented services, and (3) they maintain independent parent advisory boards that actively participate in the development, operation, and governance of services.

Wisconsin's Family Resource Programs are administered by the Children's Trust Fund, a state agency with a 10-year history of successful administration of grants to family resource and child abuse and neglect prevention programs.

Wisconsin's Family Resource Programs provide prevention services and support systems that build on and emphasize family strengths. Programs are collaborative and community- and neighborhood-based, and emphasize services for families with children three years of age or younger. The Programs select and administer strengths-based outcome evaluations.

Parent education and support are provided through a combination of center- and home-based services, which include: group and family-based parent education, workshops, support groups, drop-in programs, outreach, and referrals.

The Programs' "one-stop-shop" approach creates continuity among services for families and provide linkages to other community programs. Many of Wisconsin's Family Resource Programs are also directly providing economic self-sufficiency programs, such as job training and GED courses. Each center adapts its programs to meet the needs of families in its community.

MODEL 5: BELLFLOWER CENTER

Since 1975, Bellflower Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse has been working to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. Bellflower Center serves parents throughout Cuyahoga County, Ohio, through a network of counseling and support groups and telephone services.

Bellflower Center's mission is the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect through early intervention, self-help, counseling, education, and support. Underlying all its programs is the belief that behaviors are learned and that constructive, healthy family relationships can be developed through education, treatment, and family support.

Bellflower Center offers programs ranging from parent education and support to treatment of adult survivors of child abuse, including:

• Support groups for parents at risk of abusing their children, such as teen mothers and parents of children with disabilities or other special needs
• Treatment groups for parents who have been found to be abusive
• Support groups for adults struggling to overcome the effects of childhood abuse

A special outreach program to African American families provides culturally sensitive services to parents on the east side of Cleveland and in East Cleveland.

Resource Organizations

Additional information and materials on the topic of family support and child abuse prevention programs can be obtained from the following organizations.

National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse (NCPCA)
332 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 1600
Chicago, IL 60604
312/663-3520
TDD 312/663-3540

NCPCA is a volunteer-based organization of concerned citizens working with community, state, and national groups to expand and disseminate knowledge about child abuse prevention and to transform that knowledge into community action through sound policies and prevention programs.

NCPCA activities include public awareness campaigns, public education, a variety of community-based prevention programs, research and evaluation, and advocacy. NCPCA publishes a variety of educational materials that deal with parenting, child abuse, and child abuse prevention.

C. Henry Kempe National Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect
1205 Oneida St.
Denver, CO 80220
303/321-3963

The Kempe National Center emphasizes the development of treatment programs for abused children, conducts training programs, and offers technical assistance. A catalog of materials and services is available upon request.

The Kempe Center houses the National Child Abuse and Neglect Clinical Resource Center, which provides clinical consultation, referrals, training, and literature to aid in the multidisciplinary diagnosis and treatment of child abuse.

National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN)
Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
P.O. Box 1182
Washington, D.C. 20013
202/205-8586

NCCAN was established in 1974 by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Its activities include conducting research; collecting, analyzing, and disseminating information; and providing assistance to states and communities for activities on the prevention, identification, and treatment of child abuse and neglect. Its information component is the Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (703/3857565).

Parents Anonymous
675 West Foothill Blvd., Suite 220
Claremont, CA 91711
909/621-6184
FAX: 909/625-6304

Founded in 1970, Parents Anonymous is a national child abuse prevention program whose support groups for children and their parents meet weekly, free of charge, all across America. Parents Anonymous also provides technical assistance and training, develops national program initiatives, and coordinates national public awareness activities.

About the Family Resource Coalition

Family Resource Coalition (FRC)

200 S. Michigan Ave., 16th Floor
Chicago, IL 60604
312/341-0900
FAX: 312/341-9361

The Family Resource Coalition is a national membership, consulting, and advocacy organization that has been advancing the family support movement since 1981. The family support movement and FRC seek to strengthen and empower families and communities so that they can foster the optimal development of children, youth, and adult family members. FRC builds networks, produces resources, advocates for public policy, provides consulting services, and gathers knowledge to help grow the family support movement.

Membership benefits include:

• Subscriptions to the FRC Report, a highly acclaimed quarterly periodical; Connection, FRC's bimonthly newsletter; Policy Beat, a newsletter on public policy that impacts families; and Voices, the newsletter of the Coalition's African American and Latino Caucuses
• Discounts on FRC's biennial national conference and on FRC publications
• Access to a diverse national network of others committed to providing preventive, culturally relevant, community-based resources for families
• Eligibility to join FRC's Caucuses advancing the interests of African American and Latino families
• National representation in the policy arena

Footnotes

(1) Daro and McCurdy. NCPCA. 1992.
(2) Dept. of Health and Human Services. "Absence of Child Abuse Policy Threatens Nation's Social Fabric, U.S. Advisory Body Charges. " Sept. 14, 1991.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Jaudes, Paula and Leslie Mitchel. "Physical Child Abuse." NCPCA. 1992.
(5) Cohn, Anne H. "An Approach to Preventing Child Abuse." NCPCA. 1983.

Families Worldwide
75 East Fort Union Blvd.
Salt Lake City, UT 84047
USA

Fax us: USA 801/562-6008,
or Call us: USA 801/562-6185

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