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What Is Prevention and Why Is It Important?

With respect to human services, prevention typically consists of methods or activities that seek to reduce or deter specific or predictable problems, protect the current state of well-being, or promote desired outcomes or behaviors.

• What is child abuse prevention?
• Why is child abuse prevention important?

What is child abuse prevention?

The term "prevention" is typically used to represent activities that stop an action or behavior. It can also be used to represent activities that promote a positive action or behavior. Research has found that successful child abuse interventions must both reduce risk factors and promote protective factors to ensure the well-being of children and families.

Protective factors are conditions in families and communities that, when present, increase the health and well-being of children and families. They are attributes that serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children to find resources, supports, or coping strategies that allow them to parent effectively, even under stress.

Child Maltreatment Prevention (PDF - 84 KB)
North Carolina Institute of Medicine (2005)
In New Directions for North Carolina: A Report of the NC Institute of Medicine Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention
Includes types of prevention strategies and key principles of a prevention system.

Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect
National Research Council, Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect (1993)
Reviews the strengths and weaknesses of research regarding identification of maltreatment, incidence, etiology, prevention, consequences, and treatment. Provides recommendations for future research. Chapter Five includes a discussion of the goals of prevention and promising programs designed specifically for child maltreatment prevention.

What Is Prevention?
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
Discusses different types of child abuse prevention efforts and how to identify prevention programs.

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Why is child abuse prevention important?

The impact of child maltreatment can be profound. Research shows that child maltreatment is associated with adverse health and mental health outcomes in children and families, and those negative effects can last a lifetime. In addition to the impact on the child, child abuse and neglect affect various systems — including physical and mental heath, law enforcement, judicial and public social services, and nonprofit agencies as they respond to the incident and support the victims. One analysis of the immediate and long-term economic impact of child abuse and neglect suggests that child maltreatment costs the nation as much as $258 million each day, or approximately $94 billion each year.

Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth
Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2004)
Searches for credible scientific evidence to prove the cost-effectiveness of money spent on research-based prevention and early intervention programs for youth.

Invest in Kids Working Group
Partnership for America's Economic Success
Examines and documents the economic benefits of investments in young children and explores policies to finance expansion of such services.

The Costs of Child Abuse vs. Child Abuse Prevention: Michigan's Experience
Michigan Children's Trust Fund (1992)
Examines some of the costs of child maltreatment and some of the benefits of prevention to guide policymakers.

Making the Case for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: An Overview of Cost Effective Prevention Strategies (PDF - 155 KB)
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2005)
Provides a brief review of the costs and benefits of child abuse and neglect prevention and identifies a number of noteworthy prevention programs and strategies.

Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States (PDF - 168 KB)
Prevent Child Abuse America (2007)
Outlines direct and indirect costs of responding to the impact of child abuse and neglect both by the victims and their families and by society.

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	Related Information Gateway Topics Preventing child abuse & neglect: Making an economic case

Updated on February 25, 2009