Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

Abstract

Prematurity, congenital abnormalities, intrauterine growth retardation, and perinatal illness often impair parent-infant attachment, which can contribute to subsequent child abuse. Enhancement of parent-infant relationships, parental coping skills, and social support systems through parent education and home visitation has been shown to reduce the incidence of abuse and is emphasized in the child abuse prevention program proposed in this article. New parents who participate in the program learn about the behavioral capabilities and responses of their newborn from a trained and supervised volunteer perinatal coach/parent aide. With this knowledge, parents can develop optimal sensory communication skills for interacting with their infant. Perinatal coaches/parent aides also foster better parental understanding of the child's physical and emotional development and needs, help reduce family isolation, offer emotional support and practical parenting assistance, and serve as a positive parental role model. Social workers are integral to the program because they select, train, and supervise the perinatal coaches/parent aides.