Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Strategies

Child abuse and neglect (CAN) are serious problems that can have lasting harmful effects on its victims. CDC’s goal is to stop child abuse and neglect from happening in the first place.Child abuse and neglect are complex problems rooted in unhealthy relationships and environments. Preventing child abuse and neglect requires addressing risk and protective factors at the individual, relational, community, and societal levels.CDC developed a resource, Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: A Technical Package for Policy, Norm, and Programmatic Activities [3.69 MB, 52 Pages, 508] to help states and communities take advantage of the best available evidence to prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect. This resource is available in English and Spanish [21 MB, 52 Pages, 508] and can impact individual behaviors and the relationship, family, school, community, and societal factors that influence the risk and protective factors for violence. Effective prevention strategies focus on modifying policies, practices, and societal norms to create safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. The strategies and their corresponding approaches are presented in the table below.