Family Services and the Mass Media

Abstract

Agencies that deliver services to children, may make an agency's job easier. Robert youth, and families have much to gain by Carroll, a probation officer associated with communicating information about the probSons and Daughters United, a sexual abuse lems with which they work and the availability center in San Jose, California, indicated in a of their services through the mass media. personal communication that public informaThere are several reasons for this potential tion efforts have led to a dramatic increase in benefit. First, services are not terribly useful the number of fathers who have voluntarily unless individuals in the community who turned themselves in as molesters of their need them know that they exist. Second, daughters and to increased cooperation service agencies should be as concerned with between agencies that serve them. prevention as they are with rehabilitation, and If these potential benefits sound appealing, communicating information about how diffithen perhaps professionals and their agencies culties can be prevented, how they develop, should consider investing more effort in and what can be done at the first sign of a communicating with the public in their areas problem would be a large step toward this of service. This paper provides some goal. guidelines on how this process might A third motive for communicating is proceed. self-preservation. Some agencies are forever The concern here is with the mass media, on the precipice of financial disaster, and including newspapers, magazines, radio, and community awareness of their services and television. The mass media are splashy and accomplishments can be an important prestigious because of the large audiences method of creating an image that the agency they reach. But they have disadvantages too. is contributing to the community and worthy For example, the mass media indiscriminateof support. Fourth, many agencies are highly ly aim their words at everyone. Most people in dependent on volunteers and public communthe audience may not need your message, ications might increase the number of hours and you might want to tell one thing to contributed. Fifth, public communications divorcing parents, for example, and quite another thing to children of divorcing parents. Further, mass media communications are *Robert B. McCall, Boys Town Center, Boys Town, oFteery, m smetim toomshortton be Nebraska 68010 often very short, sometimes too short to be understood fully or accurately. The alternative is targeted communicaKey Concepts: agency welfare, communications, family sertions. These consist of brochures, booklets, vice professionals, mass media, posters, and so forth that are aimed at specific groups of people (e.g., divorcing (Family Relations), 1983, 32, 315-322.) parents, abuse victims, school counselors,