Why it Matters

Research shows that child abuse and maltreatment is associated with adverse physical and behavioral health outcomes in children and families, with those negative effects having the potential to last a lifetime.1 Effective implementation of prevention and intervention strategies help to reduce risk factors and encourage the well-being of children and families through the development of protective factors. These protective factors act as buffers for parents, caregivers, and/or guardians who might otherwise be at risk of abusing or neglecting their children. Protective factors provide the tools for finding resources, support and/or coping strategies that allow for effective parenting, even under the most stressful circumstances.2 

 

Children rely on the adults around them for basic needs and safety. Child abuse prevention relies on enhancing the role of communities in strengthening protective factors in a child’s environment through system-wide collaboration across multiple service sectors.3 Communities working collaboratively to implement safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for children and families lessen the potential for harm and future risk of abuse. Prevention and intervention aim to reduce the impact that early negative events may have on the health and well-being of children and the adults they become.  

 

In 2022, 32,732 cases of child abuse were investigated in Riverside County and 5,317 cases of child maltreatment were substantiated.4  Our goal, at HOPE Collaborative, is to provide the community with the necessary tools and knowledge to keep children safe and report abuse when there is reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect.

 

Sources: 

  1. Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2014). The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse and sexual assault assessed in late adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(3), 329–333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.12.026 

  2. The child abuse prevention and treatment act (CAPTA). Child Welfare Information Gateway. (n.d.). https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/preventing/overview/whatiscap/ 

  3. Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2017). Child maltreatment prevention: Past, present, and future. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.  

  4. California Child Welfare Indicators Project (CCWIP). (2022). https://ccwip.berkeley.edu/childwelfare/reports/SubstantiationRates/MTSG/r/rts/s