The Nature, Logic, and Significance of Strong Communities for Children.

Abstract

High levels of stress and low levels of support for parents have significant implications for child safety, particularly for families living in neighborhoods which are dangerous and disadvantaged. Building on this knowledge about the causes and correlates of child maltreatment, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect (1993) recommended a neighborhood-based child protection strategy. This article describes Strong Communities for Children, a community-based child maltreatment prevention intervention designed to carry out the Board’s recommendations. During an initial period of development and evaluation (lasting more than 7 years) of the first such initiative (located in communities near Greenville, SC), Strong Communities added substantially to the knowledge base on the role of community factors in children’s safety. It also advanced understanding of ways to operationalize some of the ideas underlying the Board’s proposed strategy. This article (a) describes the conceptual foundation, the logic model, and the engagement strategies that comprise Strong Communities; (b) provides an overview of the results from the first comprehensive initiative; (c) discusses their significance; and (d) concludes with discussion of the possibilities for Strong Communities in the current context.