Successful Involvement of the Community in Child Abuse Prevention Efforts

1. Successful Involvement of the Community in Child Abuse Prevention Efforts Jennifer Tolle Whiteside Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina jtollewhiteside@preventchildabusenc.org

2. Introduction • “There is no such thing as a social problem, until enough people, with enough power in the society, agree that there is. Social problems are produced by public opinion, not by particular social conditions, undesirable or otherwise.” • Armand Mauss and Julie Wolfe,eds., This Land of Promises: The Rise and Fall of Social Problems. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, 1977, p. 2.

3. What we seek • To engage communities in creating a cultural climate in which children are valued and families are strengthened • To create public will in support of policies benefiting parents and families • To motivate and enable positive changes in individual behavior

4. Current Situation • In the past 40 years since the “battered child syndrome” was identified………. 1. Incredible rates of public awareness and perceived importance have been generated. 2. Mixed results on education efforts 3. Minimal understanding of, and investment in, prevention. 4. No significant progress in reducing the incidence of child abuse/neglect.

5. Current Situation, cont. In the past 40 years since the “battered child syndrome” was identified… 5. Media coverage has been episodic, linked to high-profile, dramatic cases 6. Messaging has reinforced perception of failed individuals and systems 7. Advocates have relied on emotional appeals, shocking imagery & statistics 8. Unclear calls to action

6. Our Challenge • To effectively involve the community in our issue for the long term • To encourage community change

7. Why Involve the Community? “A single bracelet does not jingle” African Proverb

8. At the heart of community organizing are inclusion, ownership, relationship building, and leadership development.

9. Principles of Organizing • Assess the community • Create an action team • Develop an action plan • Mobilize to action • Implement • Evaluate

10. Assess the community • Become familiar with the community-its history, demographics, geography, and political leadership.

11. Community Involvement • We build involvement in our issue by building a “team” • Long term reality of child abuse and neglect

12. Characteristics of a Strong Team • High level of interdependence among team members • Team leader has good people skills and is committed to team approach • Each team member is willing to contribute • Team develops a relaxed climate for communication

13. Strong teams • Team roles are defined • Team is clear about goals and establishes targets • Team members develop mutual trust

14. Strong Teams, cont. • Team has capacity to create new ideas • Each team member knows she can influence the team agenda • Team members have a positive attitude toward change and are willing to accept and allow change to occur. • Understanding of long term commitment

15. Develop an action plan • What problems have you identified? • What policies would address the problem? • Create a timeline

16. Mobilize to action • Build a base of support • Make presentations • Identify elected officials • Solicit advice

17. Implement JUST DO IT! • Decide how to maintain the change • Does the change need to be enforced?

18. Evaluate • What has been accomplished? • What was done well? • What could have been done better? • What still needs to be done?

19. Community Encouragers lead by instilling in others hope and confidence to accomplish extraordinary things; even things thought impossible!