We all can play a part in building community, building hope

Written by Dex Tuttle

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. This month and throughout the year, Children’s Minnesota encourages all individuals and organizations to play a role in making your community a better place for children and families. By ensuring that parents and caregivers have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to care for their children, we can help prevent child abuse and neglect by making meaningful connections with children, youth and families in our communities.

Research shows that protective factors are present in healthy families. Promoting these factors is among the most effective ways to reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect. They are:

• Nurturing and attachment
• Knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development
• Parental resilience
• Social connections
• Concrete supports for parents
• Social and emotional competence of children

April is a time to celebrate the important role that communities play in protecting children and strengthening families. Everyone’s participation is critical. Focusing on ways to connect with families is the best thing our community can do to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

To get involved, please view the “Building Community, Building Hope” resource guide, designed for service providers who work throughout the community to strengthen families. It is available online here.

How can you protect the most amazing people on earth?

Check out Prevent Child Abuse America’s 10 Ways to Help Prevent Child Abuse.

For more information:

• If you think a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
• Minnesota Child Protection Phone Numbers
• ChildHelp National Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

Dex Tuttle is an injury prevention program coordinator at Children’s Minnesota.