Building community support is a crucial element of any child abuse prevention program. Find resources for involving and equipping individuals, organizations, and community leaders to address risk factors and promote healthy families. State and local examples are included.
Becoming a Prevention-Focused System: Conversation With National Experts [Video]
Capacity Building Center for States (2020)
Offers a video about the need to involve multiple voices and community partnerships in the development and implementation of prevention programs as well as the important role of the courts in child abuse and neglect prevention.
Benefits of Community Involvement in Early Childhood
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau (2018)
Outlines the benefits of community involvement in early childhood programs and reviews how to create a community, how to build and sustain relationships, and more.
Build Collaborative Partnerships With the Community
Safe Kids Thrive
Explains how community partnerships are essential to help effectively prevent child maltreatment and provides information on how to build community support.
Building Community Resilience: Coalition Building and Communications Guide (PDF - 1,331)
George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health & Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness (2018)
Describes how building community collaboration and strategic partnerships around prevention and wellness can lead to healthier, stronger, and more resilient communities. The report offers talking points, communication guidelines, tools for coalition building, and more.
Building Prevention-Centered Systems: Key Leadership, Workforce, and Community Roles in Shifting and Sustaining Culture [Video]
Capacity Building Center for States (2020)
Presents a video and information about the importance of successful collaboration and community engagement for the implementation of prevention systems.
The Empower Action Model: A Framework for Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences by Promoting Health, Equity, and Well-Being Across the Life Span (PDF - 306 KB)
Srivastav, Strompolis, Moseley, & Daniels (2020)
Health Promotion Practice
Describes a framework for local communities that focuses on supporting child well-being and preventing adverse childhood experiences. The Empower Action Model merges important frameworks within public health, including the framework of race equity and inclusion, with actionable items to prevent child maltreatment, build resilience, and address equity.
Increasing Participation and Membership
Community Tool Box (2016)
Discusses tactics to increase community participation in strategic campaigns. This resource guides visitors through several strategies that can increase community buy-in to prevention messages.
Making the Case: Engaging Businesses
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017)
Presents a video and additional information on how to partner with businesses when building support for a child abuse and neglect prevention program.
Prevention Planning Roundtable: Communicating With Partners About Prevention [Video]
Capacity Building Center for States (2021)
Highlights collaborative communication strategies that can be used to build community understanding of the importance of prevention and the role of the child welfare system in strengthening families.
Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink
Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink (2021)
Describes an initiative developed to break the cycle of generational poverty by improving the educational outcomes and overall life prospects of low-income children and their families. The Institute provides technical support for planning, identifying quality approaches, building partnerships, assessing needs, and many more essentials for successfully responding to the Federal Promise Neighborhoods application.
State and local examples
Building Prevention Support… It Takes A Community
Love Our Children USA (2019)
Describes how individuals can work to build strong communities and help protect children and families.
Community-Based Prevention
Bring Up Nebraska (2022)
Provides information on a community collaboration in Nebraska working to reduce entry into the child welfare system and increase community supports for children and families.
Community Partnership for Protecting Children
Iowa Department of Human Services (2021)
Provides an overview, history, strategies, and guiding principles of the community partnership approach.
Prevention and Community Support Section
State of Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services
Provides information, program examples, and funding opportunities for partnerships with community-based organizations in Georgia to reduce child abuse and neglect.
Spotlight on the Safety Net: Investing in Community Based Upstream Solutions
Hirsch (2018)
North Carolina Medical Journal, 79(2)
Describes a community-based prevention plan and presents a framework that outlines a shared vision as well as strategic goals and objectives to guide child abuse and neglect prevention efforts in Cumberland County, NC.