Bringing Prevention to the Table:
Enhancing Service Array Capacity
through
State Child Welfare/ CBCAP
Collaborations
The Service Array Process
April 28, 2008
FRIENDS National Resource Center for CBCAP
A Service of the Children’s Bureau
and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
1
What is Prevention?
Refers to:
– the act of preventing or impeding
something from taking place
– can also refer to a hindrance; an obstacle.
2
What are Prevention
Programs/Services?
• Prevention services/programs are designed to
stop/impede something from occurring or from
reoccurring/getting worse.
• Examples would be:
– Specific diseases/illnesses such as AIDS, heart disease, or
spread of a disease or illness such as malaria
– Suicide
– Accidents, crimes or gang involvement
– Mental Health and/or Substance Abuse issues
– Child Abuse or Neglect
3
What is Prevention
of Child Abuse and Neglect?
• For the child welfare system, prevention usual means
prevention of reoccurrence of abuse or neglect or
prevention of removal once a child and family are
involved with the child welfare system. It can also
means prevention of a child returning to care/being
removed from their caregiver.
• For programs such as the Community-Based Child
Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) funded programs,
prevention services are targeted towards prevention of
child abuse and neglect prior to it happening or prior to
any involvement with the child welfare system.
4
What Does This Mean?
•
•
•
•
There is much confusion about what prevention is.
People use the same word but it has very different meanings.
Prevention is not just about one issue.
There is often a significant separation of the front end
programs/services – focused on preventing child abuse and
neglect, from the rest of the child welfare system - dealing with
children and families reported to the child welfare system.
• Often the divide/disconnect is created/related to funding
streams.
• There is a need for greater clarity as to what is meant by
prevention and what the range/continuum of prevention
programs and services is that is needed for children to be kept
safe with their families and in their communities.
5
Service Array and Prevention
What does this mean for building a service array ?
• To keep children safe in their own home and
communities, a full range or continuum of prevention
of child abuse and neglect programs/services are
needed. The range would need to include the following
services/programs:
– For the general population that would focus on preventing
child abuse/neglect from taking place:
• Outreach and public education services—highlighting the risk
factors, where to get support, reporting of potential abuse/neglect,
etc.
• Family support services—available for all children and families.
6
Service Array and Prevention cont’d
• To support children and families and to reduce the risk:
– These would be targeted to build on protective factors and
reduce risk factors for the parents as well as the child and
reduce the potential harm for the child.
– To educate the public.
• To help ameliorate the impact on the child and family if
child abuse or neglect did occur.
• To support parents and children to prevent the
reoccurrence of abuse and/or neglect.
• To support parents and children to prevent the child
from coming into care.
7
Service Array and Prevention cont’d
• Children and families who are or might be involved with the
child welfare system, states/local communities have a wide
variety of needs and therefore would require a wide variety of
prevention types of services for the child/youth as well as the
parents and/or family members beyond those aimed at the
prevention of child abuse and neglect such as:
– substance abuse prevention/intervention services and
support.
– mental health prevention/intervention services and supports.
– domestic violence prevention/intervention.
8
Why a Continuum of Prevention of
Child Abuse and Neglect?
• Services are needed for families to be successful in their
communities. Keep in mind that not all families that experience
difficulties end up having contact with the child welfare system
• Services are needed to have improved outcomes for children and
families involved with the child welfare system
• In first round of CFSRs one of the most common services gaps
identified was prevention services (this included services needed
to keep children safe in their own homes).
9
Why a Continuum of Prevention of
Child Abuse and Neglect? Cont’d
• States are involved in a number of prevention activities
but often they are not coordinated/linked.
• Many of the prevention programs/services fall under
various federal programs or utilize local, state, and/or
foundation funds.
• Most professionals agree that a continuum would
consist of three levels of child abuse and neglect
prevention services: primary prevention, secondary
prevention, and tertiary prevention.
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Continuum of Prevention of
Child Abuse and Neglect Services
Primary or
Universal
Secondary or
Selected
Tertiary or
Indicated
Primary prevention consists
of activities that are targeted
toward the community at
large. These activities are
meant to impact families prior
to any allegations of abuse
and neglect.
Secondary prevention includes
activities targeted to
vulnerable families that have
one or more risk factors,
including families with
substance abuse, teen parents,
parents of special needs
children, single parents, and
low income families.
Tertiary prevention consists
of activities targeted to
families that have confirmed
or unconfirmed child abuse
and neglect reports. These
families have already
demonstrated the need for
intervention, either with or
without court supervision.
These are families that qualify
for services under child
welfare programs.
These are families where there
is an open case.
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Examples – Primary Prevention
• Public awareness campaigns for prevention of child
abuse and neglect, such as shaken baby syndrome, child
sex exploitation, when to report abuse/neglect.
• Public education and outreach activities.
• Information and referral regarding community and
social services available for families.
• Parent education classes that are open to anyone in the
community.
• Family support programs – family resource centers.
Note: States/communities often fund these services with additional funding
beyond their CBCAP grant funds.
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Examples - Secondary Prevention
• Parenting Classes – parent education/skills classes targeted for high-risk
parents.
• *Domestic violence services.
• *Concrete services (clothing, food, utility payment, housing assistance, job
training, transportation).
• *Counseling (for adults and for children).
• Population-specific services, e.g.,
– Parents (all, new, teens, etc.).
–
–
–
–
Parents/children with disabilities.
Racial and ethnic minorities.
Members of underserved or underrepresented groups.
Fathers.
* NOTE: States/communities often fund these services with additional funding beyond their
CBCAP grant funds such as PSSF funds.
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Examples - Secondary Prevention
cont’d
• Respite care/crisis care for parents of a child with a
disability or for families at risk of abuse and/or
neglect, such as:
– Crisis Nurseries.
– Homemaker.
– Parent aide.
• Voluntary home visiting programs for :
– New parents.
– Pregnant teens.
• Parenting program for new moms.
• Parent mutual support/self-help.
NOTE: States/communities often fund these services with additional funding
beyond their CBCAP grant funds such as PSSF.
14
Examples - Secondary Prevention
cont’d
• Mentoring programs for high risk youth.
• Family resource centers/family support services
for at risk families.
• Home based early intervention services for at
risk populations, including:
– Support for parents with children with special needs.
– Services/supports for children with special needs.
• Evidence-based programs such as Nurse Family
Partnership Program, Healthy Families.
NOTE: States/communities often fund these services with additional funding beyond their CBCAP
grant funds such as PSSF.
15
Examples – Tertiary Prevention
• Treatment/intervention services for children that have
been abused and/or neglected.
• Intensive family intervention services where abuse/
neglect has taken place.
• Family reunification services to prevent reoccurrence
of abuse/neglect.
• Parenting Classes – for parents where abuse/neglect
has taken place.
• Supports for Foster Parents and Resource Providers
caring for children who have been abused and/or
neglected.
16
Development of Service Array
with Continuum of Prevention
• The child welfare system itself would not be responsible to pay
for/create all these services but would want to partner/
collaborate with the appropriate state/community/systems
representative(s)/to ensure they are available in sufficient
quantity and locations to be able to access them on behalf of the
children and families they are involved with or refer to them.
• A key resource for primary and some secondary prevention
services is the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention
(CBCAP) program (CAPTA Title II funding).
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CBCAP CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK (revised 10-19-06)
The purposes of the CBCAP program are: (1) to support community-based efforts to develop, operate, expand, and enhance, and where appropriate to network,
initiatives aimed at the prevention of child abuse and neglect; (2) to support networks of coordinated resources and activities to better strengthen and support
families to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect; and (3) to foster understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of diverse populations in order to
effectively prevent and treat child abuse and neglect.
INPUTS
Underlying
conditions:
All families have
inherent strengths
but they also
experience
circumstances that
impact their ability to
provide for children’s
basic physical and
socioemotional
needs. These risk
factors increase for
families experiencing
geographic or social
isolation, economic
challenges, limited
education or
employment,
inexperience with
positive parenting, or
physical or mental
health issues.
Target Population:
All families, especially
those at risk for abuse
or neglect.
Resources:
CAPTA, Title II
Federal CBCAP
funding, other
Federal funds and
State and local
matching funds to
support prevention
efforts
ACTIVITIES
DIRECT
Provide support
for parents
Promote the
development of
parenting skills
Improve access
to formal/in
formal resources
Support the
needs of
individuals with
disabilities
Commit to
parent
leadership and
engagement
INDIRECT
Support
networks of
coordinated
resources
Maximize and
leverage funding
for prevention
Conduct public
awareness and
education
Advocate for
systemic change
Ongoing
assessment and
evaluation
OUTPUTS
DIRECT
Numbers served
through the
continuum of
preventive, family
centered, culturally
competent services
(i.e. family resource
and support, parent
education, mutual
support, home
visiting, respite care,
information and
referral)
Number of parents
involved with
program planning
and evaluation
INDIRECT
A public-private
network of
prevention and family
support programs
Number of funding
mechanisms that
blend Federal, State,
local and private
funds
Numbers reached
through public
awareness and
education
Number of advocacy
activities
Number of selfassessment, peer
review, evaluation
and quality assurance
efforts
SHORT-TERM &
INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES
Individual and Family/ Relationships
Levels

Increase in the number of
families’ needs assessed and
connected to needed services
within their own communities

Increase in protective factors to
prevent abuse or neglect by
parents and caregivers related to:

bonding and attachment

parental resilience

knowledge of parenting and
child development

social connections

concrete support in times of
need

Decrease in risk factors associated
with reasons for service.
Community Level

Increase in the availability of
appropriate evidence-based and
evidence-informed programs

Increase in number of agencies
developing and implementing
action plans to address
meaningful parent involvement

Increase in coordination across
prevention, child welfare and
other child and family service
systems (i.e. substance abuse,
mental health, education, early
childhood, disability)

Increase and expansion of
Statewide networks of family
support and prevention programs

Increase in the use of a
continuum of evaluation
approaches implemented
Societal level

Increase in private, State and
Federal funding for prevention
and family support

Increase in public understanding
and engagement for the
prevention of child abuse and
neglect
LONG-TERM
OUTCOMES
SAFETY




Children are protected
from abuse and neglect.
Children are maintained
in their own homes.
Decrease in rate of first
time victims.
Decrease in rate of first
time perpetrators.
PERMANENCY


Children have
permanency and stability
in their living situation.
The continuity of family
relationships and
connections is preserved
for children.
WELL-BEING





Families have enhanced
capacity to provide for
their children’s needs.
Children’s educational,
physical and mental
health needs are met.
Children have
opportunities for healthy
social and emotional
development.
Youth make a successful,
self-sufficient transition
to adulthood.
Diversity of families is
embraced and supported.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Development of a culture of
continuous improvement in
the strengthening of families
and the prevention of abuse
and neglect.
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CBCAP Program
• To support development and expansion of
community-based and prevention-focused
programs and activities to support and strengthen
families and prevent child abuse and neglect.
• To support meaningful involvement of all
parents, including parents with disabilities, in
planning, implementing and evaluation of
prevention programs.
• To enhance States’ evaluation capability to
determine effectiveness of funded prevention
programs and activities.
19
CBCAP Program continued
• To promote greater linkages with other National and
Statewide systems change efforts such as the Child and
Family Services Reviews (CFSRs).
• To support training and technical assistance for lead
agencies on program requirements, as well as support
ACF Priorities, e.g., healthy marriage, responsible
fatherhood, outreach to faith- and community-based
programs, positive youth development, and the rural
initiative.
20
CBCAP Target Populations
• Vulnerable families at risk of abuse or neglect.
• Special focus on specific populations:
–
–
–
–
Parents (all, new, teens, etc.).
Parents/children with disabilities.
Racial and ethnic minorities.
Members of underserved or underrepresented
groups.
– Fathers.
• Includes activities for General Population.
21
Authorized Activities under CBCAP
• Provide comprehensive supports for parents.
• Promote development of parenting skills, especially
young parents or those with young children.
• Improve family access to formal and informal resources.
• Support needs of parents with disabilities through
respite or other activities.
• Provide referrals to early health and development services.
• Promote meaningful parent leadership.
22
Other Authorized Activities
• Financing development of continuum of
prevention services through public –private
partnerships.
• Financing start-up, maintenance expansion, or
redesign of Child Abuse Prevention programs and
activities that are identified as unmet needs.
• Maximizing funding through leveraging funds for
Child Abuse Prevention programs and activities.
• Financing public education activities that focus
on health and positive development of parents and
children and promotion of Child Abuse Prevention.
23
Lead Agency Requirements
• Capacity to direct interdisciplinary,
collaborative structure that guides planning for
program and activities.
• Provide oversight for goals and objectives of
program.
• Assess community needs and assets through
a process that involves public and private
agencies.
• Provide training, technical assistance and
evaluation assistance to funded programs.
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Lead Agency Requirements (cont’d)
• Evaluate funded programs and activities.
• Actively participate in CAP month activities.
• Insure parent involvement in planning,
implementing and evaluation of programs.
• Participate in actions to advocate for system
change.
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Resources
• Website – www.friendsnrc.org
• CBCAP State Lead Agency (SLA) contact http://www.friendsnrc.org/contacts/contacts.asp
• FRIENDS NRC for CBCAP
– Director – Linda Baker – Lbaker3@nc.rr.com
– TA Coordinators
• Alicia Luckie – APLUCKIE@elmore.rr.com
• Cassandra Furman - cfirman@wavecable.com
• Edi Winkle - ediwinkle@windstream.net
• Federal Project Officer
– Melissa Brodowski - melissa.brodowski@acf.hhs.gov
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