Seeking a cure for child abuse

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Sept, 1998 by Alex Morales

If this value deepened in our society, many good changes might be expected. No longer would 60% of births in the U.S. be unplanned. (For teenagers, it is 80%, though teens account for just 10% of all births). All parents aggressively would seek out the most advanced information that would allow them to learn from experienced parents and professionals about the unique needs and problems of their offspring. They would learn how to meet these needs, so that their children could blossom intellectually, emotionally, and with character ready to face the future. Mothers and fathers would take it upon themselves to redouble their efforts to build a network of supportive relationships, realizing that they must do this not just for themselves, but to help them be strong parents. They would spend more time with their kids, realizing it takes a great quantity of hours to get one quality hour with their offspring.

Second, private and public organizations must create family resource centers for all parents with children from birth through age three. These centers would be a resource to help them find practical information on parenting, opportunity for new supportive relationships, and a place to facilitate the cooperative voluntary efforts of groups of parents. The latter might provide periodic baby-sitting for each other or even emergency baby-sitting when members of their group find themselves in that unplanned desperate moment. There could be childbirth and "Mommy and Me" type classes for parents and their kids. Organizations such as religious institutions, YMCAs, community colleges, and cityfunded community centers could take the lead in creating these family centers. The key is to have a center that has a clear vision that its ultimate goal is not just to host a lot of activities, but to support those who are investing in preparing themselves for their job as a parent.

Such family centers might be made available to parents of children who are older than age three. however, These centers really are going to lay a foundation for prevention of child abuse, they first must help parents with their offspring from the womb through the critical formative years. These centers, in order to be effective, would require the volunteer efforts of parents and other community residents to help administer them and work with the families. Family resource centers should be established in all neighborhoods. Where such centers require the support of tax dollars, though, they first should be developed in low-income communities, where they can do the most good.

Third, a home visitation program with referral services targeted to high-risk new parents at the time of the birth of a child must be developed. Trained parents or professionals would go out into the home of these high-risk families and provide valuable information, teach and model parenting, and offer counseling and support. They would help connect these high-risk families to other needed community services, including parent education, support groups, and drug treatment. Such a program must follow these parents and their child through the first three years of their child's development to prevent the occurrence of abuse and to create a strong foundation for the youngster.