In Kansas, severe child abuse is on the decline, reportedly largely because of years of “evidence-based prevention strategies” supported by years of generous government funding.
Evidence-based prevention measures include:
- home-visitation by social workers to families at high risk of abandonment, abuse or neglect of children
- parent support and
- education and information on early childhood development
Although these strategies are expensive, they are reportedly seven times less expensive than addressing the abandonment, abuse and neglect of children that would result from not funding these initiatives.
The federal government expends over $100 billion each year due to mistreatment of children.
Home visitation professionals work closely with families in distress to educate parents, assist parents in arranging medical care and direct them to community resources that can help them.
In some ways, these professionals are modern surrogates for longstanding family and friends from whom families may be distanced in our mobile society.
Read more in this Wichita [KS] Eagle article: Prevention effort saves kids, money.
