Do you know that April is the National Child Abuse Prevention Month?

The purpose of the ‘National Child Abuse Prevention Month’ is to raise awareness about child abuse prevention and how we, as individuals and communities, can help prevent the abuse and neglect of children.

At the Pediatric Care Center, we aim to provide parents/caregivers with the knowledge, skills, and resources they need to care for their children/wards. Our goal is to promote children’s social and emotional well-being and prevent maltreatment within families and communities.

Research shows that when caregivers possess key, protective factors, the risk for neglect and abuse diminish and optimal outcomes for children and families are promoted. The six protective factors are:

• Nurturing and attachment: strong relationships between children and their caregivers.
• Knowledge of parenting and child development: positive parenting and understanding of child development.
• Parental resilience: being aware of triggers, mental health and safety issues.
• Social connections: identify sources of support within families and outside relationships.
• Concrete support for families: community/local resources that exist to support families.
• Social and emotional competence of children: understand how each child expresses their needs/emotions.

Whether as parents or support for parents, we all play critical roles in ensuring that the protective factors are in place. We are all stakeholders in ensuring that the children in our communities are safe and protected.

Please visit: The Healthy Children Website and http://www.preventchildabuse.org for more information.