Child Abuse Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Child Abuse, including details on family violence, examinations, long-term effects, psychiatrics disorders.

Strong communities for children: a community-wide approach to prevention of child abuse and neglect.

Kimbrough-Melton RJ, Campbell D

Institute on Family & Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA. rkimbro@clemson.edu

In 1990, the US Advisory Board declared a national emergency in the child protection system, which was nothing short of a disaster. In calling for a new approach to child protection, the Board argued that only a universal system of family support, grounded in the creation of caring communities, could provide an effective foundation for ensuring children's safety. Strong Communities for Children is the first initiative to attempt a comprehensive, large-scale implementation of the Board's proposed strategy. Using a public health approach, Strong Communities blends research about the causes and correlates of child abuse and neglect with public health concepts of community-wide prevention and intervention. Strong Families, the direct service component of Strong Communities, relies heavily on the health sector for the engagement of families.

Published 24 March 2008 in Fam Community Health, 31(2): 100-12.
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