The 2016 Child Abuse Prevention Month Awareness Campaign theme, “Children Thrive, When Supervised, Safe and Sound,” informs the military community that the most prevalent types of child abuse cases are due to incidents of neglect.
In fact, the largest percentage of neglect cases involve situations where there was a lack of supervision, unsafe home environments and failure of parents and child caregivers to protect children from physical and emotional injury.
Child abuse and neglect prevention requires all adults to become familiar with signs of abuse and neglect and to know where they could find help. Extra precaution must be taken to keep children safe in their homes by removing and/or obstructing children’s access to any potentially dangerous object(s) and by encouraging parent(s) and child caretaker(s) to engage in active supervision parenting practices.
Listed below are a few essential guidelines that we urge parents and child caregivers to adopt so that their children will thrive and are always "supervised, safe and sound."
Active Supervision:
- Avoid playing video games or using other electronic devices that will distract you from focusing on the child.
- Be prepared to quickly redirect your child if they do something that is unsafe.
- Notice typical, as well as unusual noises or silence, that may signal distress.
- Ensure that the person supervising your child is responsible, mature and age appropriate.
- Always supervise your child when they are eating, sleeping and playing.
- Set up the home environment so that it is safe, reducing the risk of injury.
Safe:
- Do not expose children to domestic violence.
- If you choose to keep a gun in your home, ensure that it is unloaded and in a locked place, with ammunition locked up separately.
- Lay sleeping babies on their back to prevent suffocation or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
- Make sure children are not exposed to household hazards such as cleaning supplies, paints and insecticides.
Sound:
- Keep all well child pediatrics appointments.
- Develop specific coping skills to help manage stress so that you are able to make wise choices during challenging times.
- Learn about child developmental stages so you know what to expect as your child grow.
Resources
How to Report Suspicion of Child Abuse and Neglect
Parenting a Child Who Has Experienced Trauma
Child Abuse Prevention Month 2016 Marketing Materials
Poster (11x17) - 17MB
