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Reflections on Child Abuse Prevention Month: Strengthening Families is the Key
As National Child Abuse Prevention Month winds down, I want to reflect on the power of partnerships in preventing child abuse and neglect. I am fortunate to be the CEO of an organization that is committed to advancing the well-being of children by investing in families and disrupting the systemic and multi-generational cycle of racial, social, and economic inequality. We believe that every child deserves a safe, nurturing, and loving home, and we are committed to working with families to help them achieve this.
Every day, we witness the strength and resilience of families. We understand that being a parent is not an easy job, and that families face many challenges. We also believe that families are the key to a child’s well-being and that parents can be the force behind thriving children. The families with whom we partner not only teach us about the challenges they face, they also teach us about the power of resiliency. They maneuver through poverty and trauma while confronting entire systems layered with inequities that add to the already demanding task of parenting. Being a parent is an act of bravery in itself, but when you are a parent confronting these obstacles, you make extraordinarily brave choices every day.
Part of our partnership – this partnership in prevention – means we must also choose bravery along with our parents. In addition to sharing our hope and optimism, we should also feed the courage always present in our families so they can magnify that hope and optimism in their own families and communities. Our approach is centered around a simple but powerful idea: we must replace what we think of as child welfare services with what we know to be child, family, and community well-being solutions.
Our Parents Care & Share parent support program and our early care and education programs are two examples of this approach. While a source of great joy, there is nothing easy about being a parent. Parents Care & Share eases the stress and frustration that comes with raising children of all ages, and it builds a peer support network where parents can feel safe discussing challenges, laugh over mistakes, and learn from and teach each other.
Our early care and education programs support parents in their vital role as their children’s first teachers and nurturers. Our services not only work on improving the educational and social development of the child but engage with the entire family to build a dynamic, supportive home environment where they can thrive.
Our real impact is best captured in the words of one of our partners, a mother in our home visiting program in Madison County. She explains “I lived a life that I’m proud I got through. I’ve been through a lot.” When a parent sees their own value, they are better able to meet the needs of their children.
This is how we disrupt the cycle of child maltreatment and change life trajectories. Our opportunity is to invest in family and parenting so that more parents tell us “I am proud of the life I chose to live.”
Mike Shaver
President and Chief Executive Officer
Children’s Home & Aid
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