Stories

A Family-Friendly Workplace in Florida

Policy comes in many different forms including organizational policies. State and local health departments can help businesses and organizations develop and adopt organizational policies. For example, a family-friendly workplace benefits employees as well as their families and allows for increased productivity, lower turnover, and stronger family bonds. A Florida-based swimming pool and spa distributor offers an employee-driven “Color Me Healthy” initiative that includes more than 35 programs that address emotional and physical health. The company grants flex time on an individual basis for family and health issues, and expecting mothers work flexible hours in the later stages of pregnancy, then work remotely after the baby is born. Ninety-four percent of company employees said they feel they can openly communicate with their supervisor and 25 percent of employees have been with the company for 10 years or longer.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-BoostYourCompetitiveEdge-508.pdf

Building Capacity to Select and Implement Prevention in North Carolina

Recognizing the challenges of implementing effective strategies to address child maltreatment at both the state and local levels, North Carolina child maltreatment prevention partners have created an advisory group, The Alliance for Evidence-Based Family Strengthening Programs, to support local communities in the implementation of evidence-based parenting and family support programs. The Alliance currently funds implementation of three evidence-based programs, Nurse-Family Partnership; Incredible Years Program; and the Strengthening Families Program, across the state. However, the primary goal of the Alliance is to provide communities with the staff skills and tools needed to select and implement programs that are both evidence-based and appropriate for community needs. A major component of the group’s work has been the provision of technical assistance and training in communities to build capacity for selection and implementation of prevention programs.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/phl/resource_center_ncarolina.html

Building Communication Capacity in North Carolina

As members of the North Carolina Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention, the Division of Public Health within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) North Carolina opted to develop a public education campaign that promotes community responsibility for child well-being. After analyzing commissioned research on the pitfalls of traditional messaging, however, this pair realized it needed to first build communication capacity. PCA North Carolina and DHHS shifted gears and instead developed communication toolkits and formed a learning community. They also offered train-the-trainer workshops on effective framing and on working with the media to raise the profile of this issue with sights on social change. This way, state organizations were equipped to make the case for safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments and healthy child development; convey consistent messages across departments; and impart these valuable skills to their grassroots networks. ​

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-BoostYourCompetitiveEdge-508.pdf

Convening North Carolina's Task Force on Child Abuse Prevention

In its work throughout the state, Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) North Carolina had identified obstacles to creating the conditions for children to thrive. To spark a dialogue on overcoming these challenges and on opportunities for policy and systems change, PCA North Carolina recruited an influential ally, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, to co-convene a statewide task force on child abuse prevention. Together with several elected officials, various government agencies, foundations, hospitals, and community-based organizations, they developed an ambitious vision, whereby “Every child is nurtured, supported, and protected within a safe and stable home and community environment.”

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf

Stakeholder Engagement in Laurel County, KY

The Sheriff of Laurel County, Kentucky, was committed to reducing methamphetamine abuse and raising awareness about the connection between child abuse and drug addiction. He hosted community meetings at unlikely venues, such as fire stations and Elks Lodges, and invited health educators and children’s advocates to travel with him throughout the county. These discussions emphasized that preventing child abuse was a community responsibility, not just the purview of law enforcement, and highlighted the role of neighborhood organizations and the regional medical center in promoting safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/communication-resources/efc-building-community-commitment.pdf