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Building Community Support

Building community support is a crucial element of any child abuse prevention program. Find resources for involving and equipping individuals, organizations, and leaders to address risk factors and promote healthy families.

Creating Parenting Rich Communities Initiative Includes resources on public awareness, education tools for involving the community, and positive parenting tips. Community Partnerships Offer a Means for Changing Frontline Child Welfare Practice (PDF - 391 KB) Center for the Study of Social Policy (2005) Key infrastructure elements necessary for child welfare agencies to effectively move a community partnership vision from theory to practice.

Become a Part of Your Community: 2008 Advocate Resource Booklet (PDF - 3130 KB)
Prevent Child Abuse Florida, Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, & Florida Department of Children and Families (2008)
Helps individuals involve schools, religious and civic organizations, childcare providers, parents, media outlets, and others in a community-wide campaign to focus on solutions to prevent child abuse and neglect. Also available in Spanish (PDF - 3370 KB).

Building Communities With Strong Families
Iowa State University Cooperative Extension Service (2002)
This guide, accompanied by a video, provides instructions on how to give nine topical presentations to local organizations about building community supports for families.

Building Strong Neighborhoods for Families With Children: A Guide for Public Dialogue and Problem Solving (PDF - 257 KB)
Study Circles Resource Center (2000)
This discussion guide is designed to facilitate study circles with members of the community about assessing and improving neighborhoods for families and children.

Community-Building and 21st Century Child Welfare
Hornberger & Briar-Lawson (Eds.)
Child Welfare, 84, 2005
View Abstract
A collection of articles identifying successful approaches to community-building.

Community Life, Public Health, and Children's Safety
Melton, Holaday, & Kimbrough-Melton
Family and Community Health, 31(2), 2008
View Abstract
Describes the Strong Communities for Children initiative, an effort replicated in several diverse communities to mobilize organizations and volunteers to build a neighborhood-based child protection system that promotes child safety and addresses other issues important for community health.

Community Mobilization to Improve Financing for Community and Family Services
Kennedy School of Government (2002)
Examines the role of community leaders, professionals, and citizens in influencing the financing, organization, and delivery of family and children's services. Includes questions to guide decision-makers in the process of selecting and designing effective community mobilization strategies.

Creating Community Responsibility for Child Protection: Findings and Implications From the Evaluation of the Community Partnerships for Protecting Children Initiative (PDF - 573 KB)
Daro, Budde, Baker, Smith, & Harden (2005)
A summary of the initiative's impact on child safety and related outcomes.

Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization's Capacity: A Community-Building Workbook
Asset-Based Community Development Institute, Northwestern University (2005)
Helps organizations enhance connections with and invest in community assets and strengthen current and future community-based projects, activities, and proposals.

Family-Centered Community Building (PDF - 92 KB)
National Human Services Assembly (2005)
Explores a process for engaging family residents and other stakeholders in collaborative efforts to strengthen and improve conditions for families with children, including a discussion of advantages, case studies, and State and local policy recommendations.

The Front Porch Project^®
American Humane Association
This initiative focuses on developing and sustaining community involvement to protect children.

Healthy Communities - Healthy Youth
Search Institute
An initiative to motivate and equip individuals, organizations, and their leaders to join together in nurturing competent, caring, and responsible children and adolescents.

Implementing Community-Based Prevention Programming: A Review of the Literature
Stith, Pruitt, Dees, Fronce, Green, Som, et al.
The Journal of Primary Prevention, 27(6), 2006
View Abstract
Identifies validated conclusions and recommendations for implementing community-based prevention programs.

Preventing Family Violence: Lessons From the Community Engagement Initiative (PDF - 344 KB)
Family Violence Prevention Fund (2004)
Describes the lessons learned from projects using community mobilization strategies to prevent and reduce family violence, including information on getting started, funding, strategies for effective engagement, and measuring project effectiveness.

Residents Engaged in Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods: A Guide to Key Ideas, Effective Approaches, and Technical Assistance Resources for Making Connections Cities and Site Teams (PDF - 408 KB)
Annie E. Casey Foundation (2001)
Describes effective approaches and strategies for encouraging resident participation in improving their neighborhoods.

Supporting Families Makes a Difference: A Partnership for Prevention and Well-Being (PDF - 87 KB)
Biddleman & Doyle
Protecting Children, 17(2), 2002
Describes a community's efforts to implement the Front Porch Project to increase the effectiveness of activities designed to improve child safety, parent involvement, and community support for families.

Updated on September 23, 2009