Evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising child maltreatment prevention programs:
Period of PURPLE Crying
Infants age 0-5 months old are at greatest risk for abusive head injury from shaking, hitting, and impact on hard surfaces. The program Period of PURPLE Crying was created by a developmental pediatrician to prevent abusive head trauma by teaching parents and caregivers skills and ideas to cope with the stress of infant care and crying.
http://purplecrying.info/what-is-the-period-of-purple-crying.php
Nurse Family Partnership (NFP)
This home visitation program targets first time mothers with low income. Consistent program effects: Improved prenatal health, fewer childhood injuries, fewer subsequent pregnancies, increased intervals between births, increased maternal employment, and improved school readiness.
http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/proven-results
Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK)
Offers a practical and evidence-based approach to enhance pediatric primary care by addressing prevalent psychosocial problems. Aims to strengthen families, support parents and promote children's health, development and safety. Helps prevent child abuse and neglect. All SEEK training and education materials are free to view.
https://health.maryland.gov/innovations/Pages/seekprogram.aspx
Child empowerment, bullying and abduction prevention program. Unlike other programs, radKIDS teaches children how to fight back. More than 100 child abductions have been prevented by this practical program.
Triple P Parenting
Triple P has been shown to slow rates of child abuse, reduce foster care placements and decrease hospitalizations from child abuse injuries. This program teaches positive parenting methods and is available in person or as an online class. Multiple levels of training are available for different needs which may be present in families, communities, and institutions.
http://www.triplep-parenting.net/glo-en/home/
Nurturing Parenting
This trauma-informed positive parenting program with a vision to cultivate a culture of nurturing through implementation of community-based, family focused education in the philosophy and practices of nurturing. Multiple levels of training are available for different needs which may be present in families, communities, and institutions.
http://www.nurturingparenting.com
Parents As Teachers
This home visiting model strives to meet the evolving needs of families and serves as a voice for early childhood education and champions the critical role of parental involvement and early intervention in the education continuum to enhancing school readiness by reaching children during the critical, formative years of life.
http://www.parentsasteachers.org
Stewards of Children Sexual Abuse Prevention Training
Stewards of Children® is an evidence-informed prevention solution that increases knowledge, improves attitudes, and changes child protective behaviors. It offers practical prevention training and is available in person or online to individuals and institutions. http://www.d2l.org/site/c.4dICIJOkGcISE/b.6243681/k.86C/Child_Sexual_Abuse_Prevention_Training.htm
Healthy Start
While not created to be a child maltreatment prevention program, the risk factors for infant mortality this program works to address overlap with risk factors for child maltreatment.Healthy Start works to prevent infant mortality in communities with infant mortality rates at least 1.5 times the national average and high rates of low birthweight, preterm birth, maternal mortality and maternal morbidity (serious medical conditions resulting from or aggravated by pregnancy and delivery).
https://mchb.hrsa.gov/maternal-child-health-initiatives/healthy-start
“Safe to Sleep” Campaign
An important cause of child maltreatment fatality is overlay suffocation death when a parent or caregiver is intoxicated and sleeping on the same surface as an infant. Standardized education and modeling of safe infant sleep practices in any caregiving environment, including the hospital setting, is an important step to prevent these deaths.
https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sts/Pages/default.aspx
National Safe Haven Alliance
Individual states have different laws and programs dedicated to providing a safe place for mothers to give up their baby without fear of legal action. The National Safe Haven Alliance (NSHA) supports states’ efforts to prevent infanticide and newborn abandonment through safe-haven relinquishments. NSHA is dedicated to reaching these women and encouraging them to make the right choice for themselves and their babies, whether it is a safe-haven relinquishment, adoption, or parenting.
http://www.nationalsafehavenalliance.org/about-us/
Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative USA
Breastfeeding promotes mother-infant bonding which is critically important for prevention of child maltreatment. Breastfeeding also reduces the risk of post-partum depression which can be a risk factor for child maltreatment. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) is a global program that was launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in 1991 to encourage and recognize hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and mother/baby bonding. It recognizes and awards birthing facilities who successfully implement the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding (i) and the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (ii). The BFHI assists hospitals in giving all mothers the information, confidence, and skills necessary to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.
Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI® uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors. While the intervention is based on years of attachment, sensory processing, and neuroscience research, the heartbeat of TBRI® is connection.
http://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/
Infant mortality reduction based on the Finnish baby box tradition
An eco-friendly, affordable, portable, safe sleep surface for infants which can be used by organizations to improve prenatal care, awareness of community support programs for new parents, and promote safe sleep practices to reduce infant mortality.
http://babyboxco.com/pages/tradition
No Hit Zone hospital program
This program trains health care workers in de-escalation techniques to address parental disruptive behaviors and physical discipline of children commonly encountered in the hospital environment.
http://hosppeds.aappublications.org/content/4/4/247
http://www.slideshare.net/UofLpedsnews/clinic-nohitpresentation-dauk-07-24-13
Tangelo Park neighborhood based child and parent education program
This program reduces crime, poverty, and improves graduation rates. All of these factors play a role in prevention of child maltreatment. Tangelo Park is a model community that assures quality childcare programs, parent effectiveness training, and post-secondary education or training opportunities at no cost to the community. All funding goes to the program with no need for salaries, materials, or other costs. All participants give freely of their time and expertise and monthly meetings operate with a shared decision model.
http://www.tangeloparkprogram.com/our-results/
Breastfeeding promotion in the healthcare environment
This article describes barriers and solutions for breastfeeding support in a medical clinic environment.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0401/p2093.html
The Colorado Family Planning Initiative
Early pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, short intervals between pregnancy, and an increased dropout rate which contributes to poverty are all factors associated with an increased risk for child maltreatment. This initiative made long acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) readily available and had incredible results. The state teen birth rate dropped by 40 percent. The abortion rate fell 42 percent among all women ages 15 to 19. Teen birth rates in our state declined more rapidly than in any other state or the nation.Nine of 10 teen moms who received a long- acting reversible contraceptive before leaving the hospital after delivery did not get pregnant within two years. The number of teens with repeat births decreased by 53 percent.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/HPF_FP_UP-Reducing-Teen-Pregnancy.pdf
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/states/tx.html
CURE Violence
This model treats violence like a health issue and has had incredible success in decreasing shootings and homicides in cities across the world by more than 70%.The Cure Violence Health Model uses the same three components that are used to reverse epidemic disease outbreaks. 1) Interrupting transmission of the violence. 2) Reducing the risk of the highest risk. 3) Changing community norms.
http://cureviolence.org/results/recent-successes/
Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
ACT is an evidence-based practice that improves outcomes for people with severe mental illness who are most at-risk of homelessness, psychiatric hospitalization, and institutional recidivism. ACT is one of the oldest and most widely researched evidence-based practices in behavioral healthcare for people with severe mental illness.
ACT is a multidisciplinary team approach with assertive outreach in the community. The consistent, caring, person-centered relationships have a positive effect upon outcomes and quality of life. People receiving ACT services tend to utilize fewer intensive, high-cost services such as emergency department visits, psychiatric crisis services, and psychiatric hospitalization. They also experience more independent living and higher rates of treatment retention.
http://www.namhpac.org/PDFs/assertive.pdf
Mental Health Crisis Response Institute: First responder Crisis Intervention Team (CIT)
CIT provides law enforcement-based crisis intervention training for assisting those individuals with a mental illness, and improves the safety of patrol officers, consumers, family members, and citizens within the community. CIT is a program that provides the foundation necessary to promote community and statewide solutions to assist individuals with a mental illness. The CIT Model reduces both stigma and the need for further involvement with the criminal justice system. CIT provides a forum for effective problem solving regarding the interaction between the criminal justice and mental health care system and creates the context for sustainable change.
http://www.mentalhealthcrisis.org/lawenforcement.html
Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (ACE)
The Adverse Childhood Study found that survivors of childhood trauma are up to 5,000 percent more likely to attempt suicide, have eating disorders, or become IV drug users. Numerous other health conditions are also associated as is a 20 year reduction in life span.
Video: http://bigthink.com/videos/vincent-felitti-on-childhood-trauma
Take the quiz: http://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/
Detailed study results power point from Dr. Anda: https://multco.us/file/37959/download
Early Detection of Child Maltreatment Online Training
This free, online training was developed by physicians and nurses with the intention of providing practical, interactive, evidence-based training on the evaluation and management of child physical abuse. It offers continuing education credit for physicians, nurses, social workers, teachers, psychologists, and counselors. Nurses and physicians can participate in a simulated patient encounter for skills assessment and building as part of the training.
https://www.cookchildrens.org/Maltreatment/early-detection/Pages/default.aspx
The Alexander Technique (AT) stress and pain reduction technique
AT is considered a mental discipline that teaches individuals how to let go of tension in the body and how to enable the body to move with ease and minimal effort. AT is used to treat a variety of conditions, from neck and back pain and repetitive strain injuries to breathing problems, voice loss, and sleep disorders. The purpose of AT, ultimately, is to enable individuals to methodically unlearn maladaptive (negative) habits — which can show up in the way we stand, sit, eat, walk, or talk — and instead learn how to return the body to a relaxed, balanced state of alignment and poise.
http://www.alexandertechnique.com/?skipmobile=1
Start Your Recovery Resource Site
StartYourRecovery.org is a groundbreaking website developed by bringing together experts in substance misuse treatment from leading nonprofit, academic, and government institutions. Through this important resource, individuals can hear stories from people with similar life experiences, discover the answers they need for recognizing and dealing with substance misuse, and locate support.