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UC Davis Extension enters partnership to reduce child abuse statewide
On average, four children lose their lives each day in the U.S. as a result of child abuse or neglect. While the vast majority of child maltreatment is not fatal, the sheer number of substantiated incidents is staggering—approximately 900,000 each year.1
In an effort to reduce child abuse and neglect and promote early intervention strategies, California established Child Abuse Prevention Councils in all 58 of its counties. These councils are required to 1) provide training to mandated child abuse reporters (such as teachers, social workers, police officers and healthcare professionals); 2) assist in coordinating child abuse treatment services; and 3) identify service gaps for children and families. The Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice, a branch of UC Davis Extension’s Center for Human Services, was recently charged with helping the councils achieve their goals.
The Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice initiated a contract earlier this year to provide training, technical assistance and support to Child Abuse Prevention Councils statewide. As a part of the training component, UC Davis Extension recently launched an online series of courses for mandated child abuse reporters…and anyone in the general public who wants to have a better understanding of what constitutes child abuse and neglect, and how to act upon a legitimate concern. Through these low-cost online courses, the Resource Center expects to train thousands of people across California each year.
The basic module is a four-hour tutorial on what the law states, how abuse and neglect are legally defined and what happens at Child Welfare Services (CWS) agencies when a concern is reported. In addition, there are specialized training modules for those in professions such as nurses, special education teachers, daycare providers, clergy and probation officers which discuss specific issues that could be encountered in those professions. Some of the specialized training modules offer professional education credit.
"We want people to see their local child welfare services agency as a resource, not as something that will automatically generate an assessment," explains Debbie Yip, director of the Resource Center for Family-Focused Practice at UC Davis Extension. "Sometimes people simply have a need to discuss their concerns with child welfare services to determine if their concern meets the threshold of abuse or neglect."
In addition to online training for community members, the Resource Center will provide training, technical assistance and support to the Child Abuse Prevention Councils themselves. "Our work with the councils will focus on how to share resources and expertise with one another; how to enhance their skills in engaging the community in prevention work, and how to use evidence-based practice to reduce child abuse and neglect," Yip says.
The Resource Center will also assist the Office of Child Abuse Prevention (part of the California Department of Social Services) with the development and coordination of the annual Child Abuse Prevention Summit, slated to take place February 12, 2008, in Sacramento (for more information on the summit, go to www.humanservices.ucdavis.edu/resource).
Last year in California, approximately 107,000 child maltreatment reports were substantiated with nearly 40,000 children being removed from the care of their parents—while the remainder received services and supervision from child welfare service agencies.2 The new partnership with the California Office of Child Abuse Prevention will expand the Resource Center's opportunity to serve and support vulnerable children, their families and the professionals who serve them.
1 "Child Maltreatment 2005," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
2 Child Welfare Services Outcomes System Summary for California, 2006, UC Berkeley
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