One in seven children in the United States experiences child abuse and/or neglect each year, resulting in an array of adverse outcomes, including chronic pain, psychological concerns (anxiety, anger and aggression, depression, and suicidal thoughts or ideation), and poor or delayed social and behavioral development. There are a variety of risk factors surrounding child abuse and neglect including poverty, violence within the community, exposure to racism and discrimination, substance abuse, social isolation, and having caregivers who also experienced childhood adversity. Further, the trauma from these experiences can contribute to an intergenerational cycle of continued abuse and neglect. Child abuse and neglect has an estimated lifetime economic burden of over $590 billion nationwide – including short- and long-term health care and child welfare costs, criminal justice processes, special education costs, and lost productivity.

“Primary prevention policies and programs are critical for families and communities. In collaboration with our nationwide chapter network, we will continue to further our primary prevention priorities to ensure families get the support they need before they are in crisis, thereby preventing child welfare system involvement and the costly interventions needed at that point. We directly address social determinants of health, including systemic and structural racism by ensuring equitable access to high-quality services and supporting communities to effectively address health disparities. Together we can help to lay the foundation for children and for the success of the entire family.” – Prevent Child Abuse America

Partnerships as a Pathway to Prevention

For more than 50 years, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) has been a leader in cross-sector, upstream approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect and promoting resilience in children and families. PCA America believes that “prevention happens in partnership” and has seen great success in pioneering relationships with policymakers, national organizations, and national coalitions in support of evidence-based, trauma-informed policies and programs. Pathways to Resilience is fortunate to have this important organization as a partner to the initiative.

PCA America believes the key to preventing child abuse and neglect is in the partnerships between federal, state, and local government, community, non-governmental organizations, and people with lived experience. In a first-of-its-kind partnership, PCA America has joined with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Casey Family Programs, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the United States Children’s Bureau, and people with lived experience to create Thriving Families, Safer Children (Thriving Families).

The goal of Thriving Families is to “create conditions for strong, thriving families where children are free from harm” by promoting innovation and transforming child welfare policy and systems. This includes reframing child welfare as a public health priority, engaging lived experts as leaders in the work, centering work within communities and expanding prevention services and supports. The national partners provide technical assistance, learning opportunities, and connections for peer collaboration to 22 Thriving Families locations across the U.S. Additionally, PCA America provides financial support to a number of community-based organizations in the Thriving Families locations through funding from Annie E. Casey Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

A Leader in Prevention Policy & Advocacy

In partnership with the CDC, PCA America is working on a national scale to evaluate the efficacy of current policies to prevent child sexual abuse. In a 2021 report “A Call to Action for Policymakers and Advocates: Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Legislation in the States,” PCA America evaluated state legislative approaches to child sexual assault in schools.

In addition to their leadership and advocacy, PCA America leverages a nationwide network of state chapters and cross-sector relationships to advance federal and state policies and programs that strengthen families and communities, promote healthy child development, and support upstream child abuse and prevention initiatives. The PCA Government Affairs Initiative has supported 27 PCA state chapters by building internal public policy capacity through such activities as:

  • Identifying state-level policy priorities and creating policy agendas, tactics, and strategies,
  • Strengthening outreach and building relationships with members of Congress,
  • Developing or expanding relationships with state leaders, including planning legislative engagement and education opportunities, identifying legislative champions, and supporting roundtables and discussions with legislators, and
  • Facilitating a monthly Policy Affinity Group with representatives from PCA chapters to promote cross-state learning and sharing on primary prevention policy options and initiatives, including developing a toolkit on economic supports for families as a prevention strategy.

PCA America also produces valuable resources to support and advocate for family centered policies, including their Federal Policy Agenda and State Public Policy Priorities. Their 2023 State Public Policy Priorities includes the following policy areas for state legislators to consider:

  • Expand and prioritize economic and concrete supports for families,
  • Invest in the expansion of evidence-based home visiting programs,
  • Invest in a comprehensive strategy for the prevention of child sexual abuse,
  • Eliminate the use of corporal punishment in public schools, and
  • Prioritize primary prevention policies and funding.

PCA America believes that preventive policies and programs, combined with the presence of critical protective factors – including nurturing and affectionate relationships, knowledge of parenting and child development, strong social, cultural, and community connections, and social and emotional competence of children – not only help avoid children’s exposure to adversity and the potential for negative outcomes, they also reduce the economic burden on individuals and states.

Pathways to Resilience values a collaborative, cross-sector, multi-disciplinary approach, and applauds PCA America for their innovative partnerships, policy resources, and hands-on approach to supporting states. To hear more from Melissa Merrick, President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America and Pathways to Resilience Expert Advisory Committee member, you can view our June 2022 Pathways Learning Network session, Trauma Responsive Approaches to Promoting Resilience Across Sectors.