Prevent Child Abuse New York's Blog

Free Webinar For Parents: Will You Know High-Quality Child Care When You See It?

2009-07-15T09:27:01-04:00

Choosing good child care is one of the most important decisions you will ever make for your child. How do you know which child care setting meets your family's needs? How do you assess quality? Join the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies (NACCRRA) for an informative session about what you should look for when you choose a child care center or family child care home. This interactive session includes questions and answers, so come armed with your burning questions about child care.

This session will be the first of four sessions with more to come throughout the year.

Programs that Work: How the Strong Communities for Children Program is Making a Difference

2009-06-11T05:24:00-04:00

The following “Five Questions for…” feature was produced by the American Psychological Association, and features Gary Melton, PhD, on the problems with our current approach to child protection and how the Strong Communities for Children program in South Carlina is creating safer, more supportive communities for kids and families.

Gary Melton—a psychologist and a professor and director of the Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life at Clemson University—focuses on the links among public policy, community supports and the well-being of children and families. As vice chair of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect in the early 1990s, he led the board's development of a neighborhood-based strategy for child protection. Dr. Melton has led the test of that strategy in Strong Communities for Children, a foundation-funded, community-wide initiative (more than $10 million over 7.5 years) to prevent child abuse and neglect in parts of Greenville and Anderson counties in South Carolina.

APA: What's wrong with the current approach to protecting children in the United States?

Dr. Melton: The current approach to child protection was adopted in every state in the early 1960s and is now outdated. The hallmark of the approach is mandated reporting and investigation of cases of suspected child abuse and neglect — in essence, case-finding. This strategy was the product of an extraordinarily influential article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. At the time, however, the authors estimated that there were about 300 cases of child maltreatment in the United States each year, but today, we have about 3 million calls each year to Child Protective Services to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Case-finding isn't the problem!

The designers of the child protection system also typically assumed that there was something very wrong with parents who maltreated their children — that they were very sick or simply very evil. In the majority of cases (both reported and unreported), however, child maltreatment involves neglect, not abuse, and the neglect is not willful. Instead, neglecting parents are typically overwhelmed by a multitude of problems without having the means — both economic and social — to solve them. Their supervision of their children becomes less diligent because they are trying to cope alone with too many social and economic problems.

Unfortunately, the question that the child protection system is designed to answer is, “What happened?” not, “What can we do to help?” And it definitely is not designed to answer the latter question before abuse or neglect occurs.

As the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect concluded, “it has become far easier to pick up the telephone to report one's neighbor for child abuse than it is for that neighbor to pick up the telephone to request and receive help before the abuse happens.” Instead, we spend vast resources on law-enforcement-style investigations by child protection workers — investigations that usually do not result in meaningful services.

APA: How is your new initiative in the Greenville area different?

Dr. Melton: We are trying to make child protection a part of everyday life. Our ultimate goal of “keeping kids safe” requires that “every child and every parent know that when they have a reason to celebrate, worry or grieve, someone will notice, and someone will care.” Parents should know that someone cares and will be there without their having to become “clients” or “cases” and even without their having to ask for help.

So keeping kids safe is not just the job of the public child welfare agency. Instead, our principal allies are church members, firefighters, civic club members, school staff, pediatricians, apartment managers, real estate agents and “just folks.” Primarily using volunteers, we're making help available when and where people need it. We're creating opportunities for families to get together or to seek help in ordinary places — schools, churches, parks, libraries and so forth — so that folks “naturally” recognize needs for help and then lend a hand. The number of ways that they provide help and the amount that they provide keep growing.

APA: Is the Strong Communities program working?

Dr. Melton: My standard answer is that Strong Communities has restored my faith in humanity! At a time when there is an enormous body of evidence showing that people — especially young people — are more and more isolated, unengaged and distrustful, we've enlisted more than 5,500 volunteers in seven years in an area that has about 125,000 residents. They've joined us through hundreds of churches, hundreds of businesses, virtually all of the civic clubs and active neighborhood associations, many of the schools, and all of the local governments and public safety agencies in the area. It's a movement, not a program.

And it's making a difference. Across time and compared with parents living in similar communities not involved in the initiative, randomly selected parents who live in the Strong Communities area indicate that they've taken more active steps to protect their children (for example, covering electrical outlets). They report being more nurturing (for example, showing more affection toward their children) and less neglecting (for example, providing adequate supervision).

Moreover, parents, teachers and especially children themselves are more likely to perceive children as safe at school and on the way to school. All three groups also are more likely to perceive the schools as welcoming to parents.

APA: As the economy worsens, should people be especially worried about child abuse and neglect?

Dr. Melton: Economic security is a major factor in child safety. For example, risk increases when a family faces unemployment or high risk of losing a job, and they live in a community with entrenched high rates of unemployment. Parents begin to think that not only are their children not getting what they need, but they themselves can do little to make the situation better. When parents see other parents having the same problems and not finding a way out, they begin to feel hopeless. They may become so depressed that they don't provide adequate care, or they may become so frustrated that they lash out.

Beyond changing parents' feelings of helplessness, the reality is that it is harder for parents to care adequately for their children when times are tough. For example, when the home or the neighborhood becomes unsafe because things are in disrepair, it is easier for kids to get hurt. Similarly, when parents lose insurance, they may find it difficult to get health care for their children or themselves and their physical ability to keep things going may suffer.

At the same time, money is not the whole problem. The much longer term trend is toward increased isolation, and that problem crosses social class, although it is most common among the families with the greatest needs. About one in five parents of young children in our area report being very isolated — for example, not having anyone to call when they need emergency child care, not knowing any of the children in the neighborhood by name, and not belonging to any organizations, except perhaps a church. This social poverty occurs frequently in wealthy neighborhoods among college-educated parents, not just among those with many advantages.

My colleague James McDonell has shown that neighborhood cohesiveness does matter, however, in children's safety. Even when the poverty rate, occupancy rate and other measures of wealth are held constant, neighborhood quality is a very strong factor in children's safety in their own homes, as measured both by parents' accounts and by emergency-room records. In other words, in communities where neighbors no longer care enough to keep the neighborhood looking nice and when they are so afraid that they erect fences around their homes, kids' safety suffers, even in wealthy communities. Again, children are safest when parents believe that others care about them and will step in to help if needed.

APA: Is there hope? Given all of the difficulties that families are facing, can we be assured that children will be safe?

Dr. Melton: Yes, there is hope! There are two facts that are especially heartening.

First, our volunteers in Strong Communities are representative of the communities as a whole. Men and women, older and younger folks, wealthy and disadvantaged, and white, brown and black people all are important in the movement.

However, the engagement actually has been strongest in communities that are more disadvantaged. The most disadvantaged community in our service area makes ups about 10 percent of the population, but we've recruited about 40 percent of the volunteers there, and they've contributed about 40 percent hours of service.

In short, even in communities under great stress — but not just those communities — it is still possible to engage people in positive steps toward keeping kids safe. The Golden Rule is still a powerful motivator.

Second, looking nationally, there is substantial evidence that the prevalence of physical abuse and sexual abuse declined markedly in the 1990s, although that change did not occur in regard to neglect. My own interpretation is that the community norms across the country became clearer and stronger in regard to abuse: “Don't do it!” People stopped hitting and exploiting kids as much or as severely. We can treat kids like people, each one deserving respect and security.

However, the lack of change in the rate of neglect suggests that it is not only a more common problem but also a more difficult one. It requires changes in norms about what people should do, not what they must stop. It also requires the whole community's watching out for each other; maybe “watching over” is an even better metaphor. Strong communities build and sustain strong families. Even in hard times, we can make kids safer when we reach out to parents and give them a hand. Even an occasional night out can make a big difference.

For more information for parents on creating healthful and non-violent environments for their children, go to APA's ACT site .

New Yorkers to Testify at Federal Home Visiting Congressional Hearing

2009-06-08T15:26:06-04:00

On Tuesday, June 9, Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the US House Committee on Ways and Means, will host a hearing to review proposals to provide funding for grants to states to support early childhood home visitation programs.

Several New Yorkers will be testifying, including representatives of the New York Education Begins at Home Coalition, and Cheryl D'Aprix of Starting Together (Healthy Families New York), Community Action Program of Madison County.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman Jim McDermott said, "Home visitation programs have a proven track record of increasing the chances that a child will have a safer, healthier, and more productive life. There is considerable interest in expanding these programs to reach more families. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues to advance a proposal that will achieve that goal."

From the press release:

"Early childhood home visitation programs provide instruction and services to families in their homes. These programs are designed to enhance the well-being and development of young children by providing: information on child health, development, and care; parental support and training; referral to other services; or a combination of these services. Typically visits begin during pregnancy or shortly after a child’s birth and may last until a child is age four. Home visits are conducted by nurses, social workers, other professionals or paraprofessionals."

In addition, on Tuesday June 2, Representatives McDermott, Danny Davis (D-IL) and Todd Platts (R-PA) introduced the Early Support for Families Act (HR 2667), more information here (note: type "HR2667" into the bill search box).

The bill, which will be the focus of Tuesday's hearing, would provide mandatory funding to states to create and expand early childhood home visitation programs. Under the legislation, funding would start at $100 million in 2010, increasing to $700 million by 2014. The bill would require a state match of 15% in the first year, 20% in the second, and a 25% match in the third. The bill builds off of previous bipartisan legislation that had been introduced in both the House and Senate that would support rigorously evaluated programs that utilize nurses, social workers, and other professionals and paraprofessionals to visit families, especially lower-income families, on a voluntary basis. If enacted, the bill would fulfill one of President Obama's first initiatives in the area of zero to five early childhood policy.

A growing body of research has found strong evidence that early childhood home visitation programs are effective in reducing the incidence of child abuse and neglect, and in improving child health and development, parenting skills, and school readiness.

Learn more about this legislation on PCANY's upcoming advocacy webinar on Wednesday, June 10th, 10:30am.

What's Changed for Children?

2009-05-18T14:19:45-04:00

Improve quality and access to children's health care, increase funding to pre-K, changes in the foster care system, increase rights and support for kinship care givers, peace on the streets—these are just a few of the answers to the questions posed in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 100Days/100Voices campaign. To mark the first 100 days of the Obama Administration, the campaign invited concerned citizens speak up and say—in 100 words or less, or with a video clip lasting no more than two minutes—After 100 days of the Obama Administration, are kids and families better off? Why or why not? What should be next on the agenda?

Below is a video of Baltimore student talking about what has changed for kids and families in Obama's first 100 days and what changes he'd like to see next. Are you ready to be heard? Tell your story here.

"Baby Shaker" App Inspires New Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention Effort

2009-05-13T05:42:00-04:00

In response to the notorious "Baby Shaker" application briefly for sale in Apple’s application store last month, Prevent Child Abuse America has joined forces with the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and two of the nation’s leading doctors who are experts in the prevention of Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome) in calling upon Apple and AT&T to act immediately to prevent a potential disaster.

In addition, the groups announced a joint effort with Soma Creates, an iPhone application development firm, to create applications to prevent SBS. These applications will be developed with special instruction from Dr. Desmond Runyan of UNC Chapel Hill and Dr. Robert Murphy of Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Health.

Marilyn Barr, Founder of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, stated, "We are very pleased to join with one of the leading child abuse advocacy organizations in the country to mitigate the current crisis and to work collaboratively on this new prevention effort."

She added, "We are still calling on Apple to step in and use their technical expertise to help these leaders in the field of child abuse prevention to develop further applications; however, prevention of Abusive Head Trauma cannot wait for Apple to act which is why we chose to move forward ourselves."

Josh Heidebrecht, President of Soma Creates Inc., offered to help develop the new application after reading about the launch and subsequent removal of the infamous "Baby Shaker" application last month.

"I was shocked to see anyone finding humor in an iPhone game that had players shake a baby until it dies. When people do not understand an issue, a common reaction is to respond with humor; so I am excited to work with Dr. Runyan and Dr. Murphy to help raise awareness of the seriousness of brain injuries by building fun and interactive iPhone toys to help educate both parents and children about child abuse," Heidebrecht stated. His company is the premier producer of iPhone interactive toys for children and parents and is donating the proceeds from their newest iPhone application to The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation.

Child Abuse and Neglect Resource and Tools

2009-05-12T05:55:00-04:00

Rand's Promising Practices Network, a group of individuals and organizations who are dedicated to providing quality evidence-based information about what works to improve the lives of children, families, and communities, has added a new Resources and Tools page on the topic of Child Abuse and Neglect. This new page includes links to data tables, fact sheets, seminal reports, and a variety of other resources that are among the best research-based materials available on this topic. Also featured is a working paper that summarizes the findings of PPN's survey of the child abuse and neglect prevention field regarding current priorities of the field and promising ideas for future prevention efforts.

Who's Mother of the Year?

2009-05-07T15:52:38-04:00

I am. And so are you. In fact, the Mother of the Year can be whoever you want her to be, thanks to Moms Rising, a group working to bring important motherhood and family issues to the forefront of the country's awareness. The clever moms at Moms Rising have created a type-in-your-name-here video of a faux news story about the winner of the “Mother of the Year” award.

I, of course, awarded myself as mother of the year. I then awarded my mom and all my friends who are moms.

All cuteness aside, the video has educational content. The text crawl under the news cast reads:

Moms in this country are way undervalued – Mothers make 73 cents to every dollar an equally qualified man makes at the same job – Single mothers make only about 60 cents to a man’s dollar – Those two facts, it should be noted, really suck – especially because men aren’t making much these days either – Over a lifetime mothers are paid anywhere from $400,000 to $2 million less than men doing the same work due to gender wage disparity. That’s a ridiculous “Mommy Tax.” A full quarter of US families with children less than 6 years old live in poverty – Well duh, all these other statistics would lead to this likely outcome – Motherhood is one of the hardest full-time jobs that does not come with Social Security or health benefits – It does however come with a lot of labor as well as love.

Moms, enjoy your day and rest up - there's still a lot of work to be done.

New Information on Online Predators

2009-05-07T05:29:00-04:00

A new Crimes Against Children Research Center study finds dramatic growth nationwide in arrests of online predators who solicited law enforcement investigators posing online as juveniles, the numbers nearly quintupling from 644 in 2000 to 3,100 in 2006.

During the same period, arrests of individuals for soliciting juveniles themselves grew a modest 21 percent, from an estimated 508 arrests in 2000 to an estimated 615 in 2006, at a time when use of the Internet by youth was growing from 73 percent to 93 percent.

The study's introduction and key conclusions are excerpted below.

Publicity about "online predators"—sex offenders who use the Internet to meet juvenile victims—has raised considerable alarm about the extent to which Internet use may be putting children and adolescents at risk for sexual abuse and exploitation. Media stories and Internet safety messages have raised fears by describing violent offenders who use the Internet to prey on naïve children by tricking them into face-to-face meetings or tracking them down through information posted online. Law enforcement has mobilized on a number of fronts, setting up task forces to identify and prosecute online predators, developing undercover operations, and urging social networking sites to protect young users.

Unfortunately, however, reliable information on the scope and nature of the online predator problem remains scarce. Established criminal justice data collection systems do not gather detailed data on such crimes that could help inform public policy and education. To remedy this information vacuum, the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire conducted systematic research that examines the number of arrests of these offenders, the characteristics of their crimes, and the scope of related law enforcement activity.

Key findings point to several conclusions: First, law enforcement appears to be having success in investigating, arresting and prosecuting online predators, particularly by using undercover techniques. Second, based on the scope of and trend in arrests for online predation, it is premature to conclude that the Internet is an unusually dangerous environment. Nonetheless, continuing research is needed to assess and monitor the relative risk of Internet use in general and of specific contexts, such as
social networking sites. Third, current prevention strategies and messages need to be revised to accurately reflect the nature of crimes committed by online predators.

Get the full report here.

What Do Think About Angela Shelton?

2009-05-04T05:44:00-04:00

Angela Shelton's keynote at the 2009 Child Abuse Prevention Conference was inspiring, energizing and very, very funny. Angela has a real gift for connecting with people. Don't just take my word for it—see what the audience had to say about Angela.

Response to Apple's Baby Shaker Application

2009-04-30T14:35:15-04:00

You are probably aware of the recent controversy over the iPhone application Baby Shaker. The now-defunct application shows a drawing of a crying baby; once you shake the phone, the crying stops and Xs appear over the baby's eyes. Although Apple had the good sense to pull the application in response to public outcry, one is still left wondering how they allowed such an application to come to market in the first place. Shaken baby symdrome is not something to make light of.

Below is Prevent Child Abuse America CEO Jim Hmurovich's letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Steve Jobs, CEO
Apple
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014

Dear Mr. Jobs,

On behalf of Prevent Child Abuse America, its employees, our 47 state chapters, and over 400 Healthy Families America sites in 35 states, I am writing you today to express my profound concern that the recent iPhone shaken baby app was approved for distribution through the Apple App Store.

My concern is based upon the simple issue that a culture exists within the company that allowed the concept to even be discussed, much less approved for distribution. I however want to recognize your quick and thoughtful response to the public outcry regarding this app and express my appreciation for removing it from the Store.

My business is to prevent child abuse and neglect before it ever occurs. This mission is accomplished by informing state and federal policymakers about evidence-based prevention strategies such as home visiting that we know reduce child maltreatment.

We all play a role though in ensuring that these strategies exist in the communities in which we live. We also all play a role in children’s development and I believe the controversy around this app provides both of us with an opportunity to join forces and advance this cause.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is one of the most devastating forms of abuse. It is also one of the most preventable forms of abuse when the right information and the right support are available. Given this, I would like to propose that our respective organizations partner to:

Provide Shaken Baby Syndrome and general abuse and neglect prevention training to your staff;
Develop an iPhone application that provides parents and communities with vital prevention information and tips; and/or,
Create a platform for mobilizing iPhone users to advocate for public policies that support abuse and neglect prevention.

I believe that together we have the chance to make a meaningful impact in the lives of children and we will be following up in the near future to explore the ways in which we may accomplish this. In the meantime, feel free to contact me at (312) 334-6810.

Sincerely
James M. Hmurovich
President & CEO
Prevent Child Abuse America