COLUMBIA - Awareness is the critical first step to child abuse prevention. Led by Children's Trust, more than 100 prevention partners across the state are standing together advocating for children and families during Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month.
As the state affiliate
of Prevent Child Abuse America, Children's Trust supports child-serving organizations in local communities on finding strategies that
safeguard children, strengthen families, and raise awareness to stop abuse and neglect from occurring.
Children's Trust
supports these partners through shared learning, unified messaging, and access to prevention resources. By planting pinwheel gardens, garnering civic proclamations and hosting awareness events, Children's Trust and its partners provide a very visible presence that highlights the comprehensive, community-based prevention efforts at work.
Children's Trust CEO Sue Williams believes this partnership is a crucial component of child abuse prevention because these collective voices are a powerful force. Local leaders also understand what works most effectively in their communities.
"N
o single public agency or community organization can do this work alone," Williams said. "Being united as dedicated advocates of child abuse prevention allows us to deliver a more forceful message that amplifies how proven prevention programs keep children safe and families strong," Williams said.
Approximately 25,000 pinwheels – the national symbol of happy, healthy childhoods – will be planted in April throughout the state to provide a strong presence of the commitment to preventing child abuse in communities.
Children's Trust and its partners are aligning messaging this year with the PCA America theme of "Help Great Childhoods Happen," which highlights the ways people can engage in everyday activities that prevent child abuse and neglect. Our social media hashtags are
#GreatChildhoods
and
#Good4SCkids
.
Children's Trust provides other materials as well to its partners, including yard signs, pledge posters, pinwheel lapel pins, a prevention toolkit, positive parenting sticky notes, and Keeping Kids Safe booklets. This support is part of overall awareness and education efforts that let families know prevention practices start in every home, neighborhood, school and community with simple actions that help keep children safe.
