Child abuse prevention collaboration makes progress

During the child abuse summit that YorkCounts organized last summer, one of the things stakeholders promised to do was continue meeting to develop a strategy to be more effective at preventing abuse. Those meetings are happening, with some real progress to report.

Three accomplishments are worth noting. First, the Child Abuse Prevention/Outreach Committee, which has taken the lead on bringing stakeholders back to the table, worked with the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance to bring the Painting for Prevention Murals Project to York for 2011. The Murals Project is one of the Alliance's key efforts to raise awareness of child abuse. In York, mural day is April 9 at Central Market, and the public will be invited to come and help create the mural while learning about child abuse prevention. April is National Child Abuse Awareness Month.

Second, YorkCounts, the York County Council of Churches, the Logos Academy and York City are partnering for an event on March 21 that will bring together county pastors to hear a pitch that they all take one Sunday in April to preach on child abuse prevention. The goal for a Child Abuse Prevention Sunday would be to continue raising awareness of the issue across the county and to urge pastors and their congregations to take action to support families.

Finally, the stakeholders have agreed to work together for another public event on child abuse in June. They would use the event to focus on the broad network of agencies that exist now, to showcase the work they do and to highlight the expanded outreach that will help agencies better connect with the families that need the help. This June event is still in the early stages of planning, so there aren't many details pinned down, yet. But they will be coming soon.

What are your ideas for ways the child abuse prevention community can better reach out to families?

- Dan Fink