Effective parenting and nurturing withinfamilial relationships lay the foundation for healthy children and a stable andproductive society. Families need to besupported by policies and services that ensure that children live in nurturingand safe environments free from abuse and neglect, thereby enabling children toreach their full potential.
Prevent Child Abuse Connecticut supports public policiesthat promote effective parenting. Prevent Child Abuse Connecticut advocates for:
1- Increasing funding for family support programsand other necessary supports, such as healthcare, quality child care and earlyeducation, safe and affordable housing, and many other services, so that theycan be established in all communities and made available for all families. Research indicates that children in at-riskfamilies that receive support services are more likely to receive appropriatemedical care including immunizations and have fewer emergency room visits thanfamilies that do not receive such services. Children whose parents receiveappropriate support services are also likely to be on track developmentally andto live in homes where their parents consciously work to provide a nurturingand educationally stimulating environment. Moreover, parents who receive supportservices are more likely to develop a secure attachment relationship with theiryoung child. Such services include:
- Home visiting services where trained home visitors work with parents to build on their existing strengths and minimize potentially harmful behavior. Home visitors educate parents about interacting with their child, help parents understand their child’s capabilities at each development stage, and teach parents positive forms of discipline. Home visitors also help parents build a strong parent-child relationship and develop skills to increate their sensitivity and responsiveness to their children. Finally, home visiting helps families become self-sufficient by helping parents set goals and by linking parents to other services.
- Mutual self-help parent support groups that offer caregivers the opportunity to participate in regular meetings where parents talk about he challenges and successes they have experienced raising children and help reduce isolation and stress while increasing self-esteem and parenting competency.
- Resources promoting a nurturing, secure, and trusting relationship between parents and child.
- Quality substance abuse treatment services and domestic violence programs.
- Education outlining reasonable expectations for children’s developmental stages.
- Strategies for dealing with challenging child behavior such as constant crying, tantrums or disregard of parent’s request.
- Strategies for encouraging positive behaviors in children.
- Resources aiding a child’s mental development and emotional competency.
- Information about quality child care and respite care.
- Information about child health, nutrition and safety.
- Services that address the special needs of teen parents such as programs that help such parents successfully finish school while lovingly and effectively raising their children.
- Family resource centers that serve as gathering places for families within communities to share the joys and struggles of parenting, help improve service access, build community, and foster informal problem solving.
2- Raisingthe value of parenthood among our society so that voters and communities agreesuch services are worthy of funding. The benefitsof promoting and supporting positive parenting practices reach fare beyond therealm of preventing child abuse and neglect. Confident, knowledgeable and prepared parents form the foundation forfamilies in which children are safer, healthier and better prepared to learn.
3- Conducting research to understandeh best way to reach parents and the public with messages underscoring theimportance of family support programs.