West Virginia Community Based Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention

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General Information

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, Bureau for Children and Families, oversees West Virginia's community based child abuse awareness and prevention grants. Child abuse awareness and prevention grants are administered according to the guidelines of the Federal CBCAP Program Instructions. Child abuse awareness and prevention grants are monitored by Program Specialists in the Division of Early Care and Education and Children and Adult Services.

West Virginia funds four program areas:

Family Leadership First: Family Leadership First is a parent-organized and parent-governed initiative to promote the principles of family support and family-centered practice within public agencies. This initiative develops family leadership skills and promotes family involvement in decision-making and planning that affects the well-being of children and families in publicly funded processes. Family Leadership First also supports an initiative called West Virgnia Family Links. Family Leadership First works with individuals, and unites groups, to grow a network that links, supports and encourages families to speak for themselves and others in realizing their hopes and dreams.
In Home Family Education: In Home Family Education Programs are voluntary home visiting programs that include Parents as Teachers, Healthy Families America, and Maternal Infant Health Outreach Workers. Each delivers a range of supportive services to families with young children. Each program relies on home visiting staff to establish a supportive relationship with the families, provide a range of educational services, and link families to needed supportive services in the community.
Partners in Prevention: Partners in Prevention (PIP) supports local child abuse prevention projects. PIP is based on the belief that preventing child abuse is everyone's business, and views the safety of children as the responsibility of not only professionals, but all members of the community. PIP aims to build strong communities that protect children and to connect these communities to form an effective statewide movement.
Starting Points Centers: Starting Points Centers bring together existing early care and education services in a single location such as a school or other neighborhood building. This comprehensive approach increases the accessibility of services, brings resources together in one place, provides family support and education, and integrates early care and education services. Starting Points Centers serve young children and their families, prenatal to age five, but can include children through age eight. Each Starting Points Center offers a variety of services to reflect the diversity of the community needs.

Child Abuse Awareness

April is Child Abuse Awareness month. WV participates in Child Abuse Awareness activities with a Governor's Proclomation as well as various activities around the state. However, child abuse is a year round problem. Reaching out to children and families in our communities year round is the best awareness and prevention tool. It's Your Turn to Make a Difference!

Awareness of child abuse can be linked to preventing child abuse. Recognizing signs of stress in a family and responding to it can help every member of the community prevent child abuse. If we are aware of the people around us and offer support, encouragement, and an occasional helping hand we are preventing child abuse and strengthening families. Parenting is a hard job. Everyone needs help every once in a while. For more ideas, click Strengthening Families and Communities Guide or visit Prevent Child Abuse WV

What is Child Abuse Prevention?

The goal of child abuse prevention is to prevent child abuse and neglect prior to it happening or prior to any involvement with the child welfare system. The best way to prevent child abuse and neglect is to support families and help parents learn the skills they need to be effective caregivers. Parenting is a learned skill. Child abuse prevention often focuses on helping parents learn how to meet the needs of their children through positive parenting.

Primary Child Abuse Prevention efforts consists of activities that are targeted toward the community at large. Primary prevention strategies often seek to strengthen family functioning. Examples of primary prevention include:

Public awareness campaigns for the prevention of child abuse and neglect, such as shaken baby syndrome, child sex exploitation, and when to report abuse/neglect;
Public education and outreach activities;
Information and referral regarding community and social services available for families;
Parent education classes that are open to everyone in the community;and,
Family support programs such as family resource centers.

These activities are meant to impact families prior to any allegations of abuse or neglect.

Secondary Child Abuse Prevention includes activities targeted to vulnerable families that have one or more risk factors, including families with substance abuse, teen parents, parents of special needs children, single parents, and low income families. Examples include:

Parenting classes - parent education/skills classes targeted for high-risk parents;
Concrete services (clothing, food, utility payment, housing assistance, job training, transportation);
Counseling for adults and children;
Respite care/crisis care for parents of a child with a disability or for families at risk of abuse/neglect;
Voluntary home visiting programs for new parents and teen parents;
Parenting programs for new moms;
Parent mutual support/self help;
Mentoring programs for high risk youth;
Family resource centers/family support services for at risk families;
Home based early intervention services for at risk populations;
Population specific services for fathers, racial and ethnic minorities, and parents/children with disabilities;

Tertierary prevention consists of activities targeted to families that have confirmed or unconfirmed child abuse and neglect reports. These families have already demonstrated the need for intervention, either with or without court supervision. These are families that qualify for services under child welfare programs and where there is an open case. These efforts are aimed at stopping the abuse from occurring again. Tertierary child abuse prevention happens within the Child Protective Services System. Examples include out-of-home care and the removal of children from the family.

West Virginia's primary and secondary prevention activities are a distinct part of the continuum of child welfare services but not a part of the child welfare system.

What is CBCAP?

CBCAP simply stands for Community Based Child Abuse Prevention. CBCAP is a piece of federal legislation and funding stream that WV utilizes to fund child abuse prevention programs.cCBCAP programs were established by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)Amendments of 1996 and most recently reauthorized in June of 2003. The purpose of the CBCAP Program is:

to support community-based efforts to develop, operate, expand, enhance, and where appropriate, to network, initiatives aimed at the prevention of child abuse and neglect;
to support networks of coordinated resources and activities to better strengthen and support families to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect; and,
to foster an understanding, appreciation, and knowledge of diverse populations in order to be effective in preventing and treating child abuse and neglect.

Grants are passed down to states through the Administration on Children and Families (ACF) to states, tribes, and U.S. Territories. Each federal grantee selects a lead agency to administer the dollars and manage the prevention network. The lead agency for WV is the WV Department of Health and Human Resources. The lead agency then manges the dollars, provides technical assistance, and coordiantes and colloborates with other child serving systems to build a system of prevention.

More information on the history and background of the federal legislation can be located here.

Strengthening Families and Protective Factors

Measuring something before it happens can be complicated. However, research tells us the best way to strengthen our families and prevent the abuse and neglect of children is by addressing the Protective Factors. Increasing protective factors in the families served by these programs leads to better outcomes for the families and the children in them. The Protective Factors and Strengthening Families are concepts that flow throughout WV's prevention programs.

West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources 350 Capitol Street Charleston, WV 25301