April targets child abuse awareness

Kinderhaven is celebrating April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Research supports that families and communities with strong protective factors increase the health and well-being of children. At Kinderhaven, we work as a team from within our community to ensure the safety and wellness of each child we serve. There are five identified protective factors in child abuse prevention, and Kinderhaven plays a significant role for the children we serve in each of these five areas.

What are protective factors? Protective factors are conditions in families and communities that, when present, increase the health and well-being of children and families. They are attributes that serve as buffers, helping parents who might otherwise be at risk of abusing their children.

Why focus on promoting protective factors?

Research has found that successful interventions must both reduce risk factors and promote protective factors to ensure the well-being of children and families leading to a lower incidence of child abuse and neglect.

- First protective factor — nurturing and attachment:

A child’s early experience of being nurtured and developing a bond with a caring adult affects all aspects of behavior and development. When parents and children have strong, warm feelings for one another, children develop trust that their parents will provide what they need to thrive, including love, acceptance, positive guidance and protection.

Kinderhaven focuses on nurturance and stabilization in order to help the child begin to form healthy attachments: Children enter Kinderhaven for a variety of reasons, and are integrated to healthy lifestyle routines for their age and stage of life. Children learn there is a routine to the day including family dinners, homework and play times. Daily living and self-care include the basics of brushing their teeth and bathing, and for older teens, learning to cook and do their own laundry. The children discern that at Kinderhaven, there is predictability and consistency, which lays the foundation for stability. Stability assists in forming healthy attachments with others.

Second protective factor — knowledge of parenting and of child and youth development

Discipline is both more effective and more nurturing when parents know how to set and enforce limits and encourage appropriate behaviors based on the child’s age and level of development. Parents who understand how children grow and develop can provide an environment where children can live up to their potential. Child abuse and neglect are often associated with a lack of understanding of basic child development or an inability to put that knowledge into action. Timely mentoring, coaching, advice and practice may be more useful to parents than information alone.

Kinderhaven has a solid foundation on children’s ages and stages. Staff works closely with other professionals to help meet the child’s unique needs. Kinderhaven staff communicates and shares the same theories of discipline in order stop negative behaviors; they work as a team to meet the child where they are. Kinderhaven staff will help connect the child to multiple service providers including counselors, speech therapists, dentists, etc. All of which help to meet the child where they are developmentally. Additionally, staff work with families about the basics of care and its importance for the child. Kinderhaven staff attend ongoing evidence-based training in child development and parenting skills.

Third protective factor — parental resilience

Resilience is the ability to handle everyday stressors and recover from occasional crises. Parents who are emotionally resilient have a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, effectively address challenges and are less likely to direct anger and frustration at their children. In addition, these parents are aware of their own challenges—for example, those arising from inappropriate parenting they received as children—and accept help and/or counseling when needed.

Kinderhaven and families: Kinderhaven often supervises first and ongoing visitations with parents/guardians/grandparents and family members. Kinderhaven works with parents if re-unification will take place or support new placement with grandparents and/or family members or foster families to support the child if re-unification is not able to occur. Kinderhaven can be an ongoing support to the family in providing a short term break for their involved families in order to support healthy ways of parenting and breaking the cycle of abuse and neglect.

Fourth protective factor — social connections

Evidence links social isolation and perceived lack of support to child maltreatment. Trusted and caring family and friends provide emotional support to parents by offering encouragement and assistance in facing the daily challenges of raising a family. Supportive adults in the family and the community can model alternative parenting styles and can serve as resources for parents when they need help.

Kinderhaven helps to link the child to healthy social outlets: Children may learn to swim, ski, dance, play an instrument, act, participate in 4-H, attend an art class, etc. Through our community support and donations, these activities help children experience their own healthy social connections as well as social manners and expectations. Kinderhaven has hosted talks about child abuse and trauma and will host a ‘building community’ event where families will get together to cook and socialize with other families through collaboration with local businesses.

- Fifth protective factor — concrete supports for parents

Many factors beyond the parent-child relationship affect a family’s ability to care for their children. Parents need basic resources such as food, clothing, housing, transportation and access to essential services that address family-specific needs (such as child care and health care) to ensure the health and well-being of their children. Some families may also need support connecting to social services such as alcohol and drug treatment, domestic violence counseling or mental health counseling. Providing or connecting families to the concrete supports that families need is critical. These combined efforts help families cope with stress and prevent situations where maltreatment could occur.

Kinderhaven is concrete support for the child:

Kinderhaven is not able to assist families financially, but they are able to connect families to multiple community resources. Additionally, Kinderhaven is able to provide the child concrete resources: clothing that fits and is weather appropriate, a warm, safe household that is a family environment where they have their own bed and own room (unless they share with siblings). Access to indoor and outdoor play that is safe, and interactive games while learning to be a part of a family allows them to no longer stay in survival mode. Kinderhaven will attend teacher conferences, wrap-around meetings and serve as a team member for the child and family in formal and informal supports.

Kinderhaven is primarily supported through our community donations and variety of gifts to assist children. We thank you for your ongoing support and donations to keep our doors open and provide children with a safe, supportive and nurturing environment.

Information: kinderhavensandpoint.com