It Takes a Community: Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect

In the past ten years the number of substantiated cases of abuse and neglect of children in Australia has more than doubled, and child protection systems have been overwhelmed by the demand. This program explores a shift to a preventive focus, looking at the development of services that emphasise protective factors, and which aim to support families and children before abuse or neglect occurs. The program illustrates the belief that a strong community underpins the effective functioning of families, and examines how traditional child health and welfare professionals are re-orienting themselves in the light of this perspective.
The program also considers the particular issues faced by rural and remote communities, given their geographic isolation and limited financial and health/welfare resources. At the same time, the program highlights the opportunities for development of innovative strategies for intervention, generated in part by those very limitations. It underlines the importance of a multi-disciplinary approach to prevention, while also highlighting the significance of the role of the General Practitioner.
The program features three filmed case studies of interventions that aim to build stronger networks and communities. They include a program for young mothers in Mildura, VIC; a fathering workshop in Nowra, on the south coast of NSW; and a community-building project in Kalumburu, an Indigenous community in Western Australia.
Produced by the Rural Health Education Foundation
www.rhef.com.au/