Introduction
A caring community has the capacity to support every member and help ensure safe passage to adulthood for all the children. Yet child abuse and neglect is a serious problem in many communities. It has significant impact on the current and future health of our children, families, and communities.
Child abuse includes emotional maltreatment, sexual violations, and physical or non-accidental injuries inflicted on a child by a caregiver such as severe beatings (Crosson-Tower, 2003). Physical signs of abuse and neglect are those that are observable. They may be mild or severe but they involve the child 's physical appearance. Behavioral clues may exist alone or may accompany physical indicators. Neglect includes situations where caregiver …show more content…
In order to prevent potential abuse and neglect, the society needs to decrease high risk situations. Similarly, broader systems changes, such as helping parents obtain adequate employment, or enhancing availability of quality child care may reduce risk (Brunson & Bouchard, 2003).
Community Approaches and Mobilization
Community-based approaches that engage community members in addressing community issues are becoming increasingly important in child maltreatment prevention. Community mobilization facilitates a broader, collective response to community-defined social and health needs. Also, it provides communities effectiveness in program delivery, service, and policy.
To foster mobilization, a community needs to establish child protection committees or task forces. A child protection coordinating committee provides an organizational structure in which community agencies and resources involved in meeting the needs of children and families can work together. This community effort can define roles and responsibilities, increase communication and the efficient use of existing services and resources to prevent child maltreatment in the community (Crosson-Tower, …show more content…
Educators are an integral part of the community and as such can lead the community effort to combat child maltreatment in a variety of ways. As leaders in a community, educators are often in an ideal position to initiate this type of teamwork. A school 's policy should address its role in a total community effort to combat child maltreatment. The lack of social supports in our current society contributes to the isolation and stress often associated with abusive and neglectful parents (Fawcett, S. B., Claassen, L., Thurman, T., Whitney, H. & Cheng, H., 1996). Hence, by distributing information on parenting techniques such as communication and discipline skill and providing training on anger management and stress reduction techniques for parents, the occurrence of child maltreatment can be minimized. Moreover, school can establish mentoring programs for youth and parents to facilitate employment and education opportunities to minimize the stress of
A caring community has the capacity to support every member and help ensure safe passage to adulthood for all the children. Yet child abuse and neglect is a serious problem in many communities. It has significant impact on the current and future health of our children, families, and communities.
Child abuse includes emotional maltreatment, sexual violations, and physical or non-accidental injuries inflicted on a child by a caregiver such as severe beatings (Crosson-Tower, 2003). Physical signs of abuse and neglect are those that are observable. They may be mild or severe but they involve the child 's physical appearance. Behavioral clues may exist alone or may accompany physical indicators. Neglect includes situations where caregiver …show more content…
In order to prevent potential abuse and neglect, the society needs to decrease high risk situations. Similarly, broader systems changes, such as helping parents obtain adequate employment, or enhancing availability of quality child care may reduce risk (Brunson & Bouchard, 2003).
Community Approaches and Mobilization
Community-based approaches that engage community members in addressing community issues are becoming increasingly important in child maltreatment prevention. Community mobilization facilitates a broader, collective response to community-defined social and health needs. Also, it provides communities effectiveness in program delivery, service, and policy.
To foster mobilization, a community needs to establish child protection committees or task forces. A child protection coordinating committee provides an organizational structure in which community agencies and resources involved in meeting the needs of children and families can work together. This community effort can define roles and responsibilities, increase communication and the efficient use of existing services and resources to prevent child maltreatment in the community (Crosson-Tower, …show more content…
Educators are an integral part of the community and as such can lead the community effort to combat child maltreatment in a variety of ways. As leaders in a community, educators are often in an ideal position to initiate this type of teamwork. A school 's policy should address its role in a total community effort to combat child maltreatment. The lack of social supports in our current society contributes to the isolation and stress often associated with abusive and neglectful parents (Fawcett, S. B., Claassen, L., Thurman, T., Whitney, H. & Cheng, H., 1996). Hence, by distributing information on parenting techniques such as communication and discipline skill and providing training on anger management and stress reduction techniques for parents, the occurrence of child maltreatment can be minimized. Moreover, school can establish mentoring programs for youth and parents to facilitate employment and education opportunities to minimize the stress of