MODULE FIVE:

PREVENTION OF CHILD
ABUSE

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INTRODUCTION

• Children raised in supportive, nurturing environments are

more likely to have better social, behavioural and health
outcomes. Likewise, children who have been abused or
neglected often have poor social, behavioural and health
outcomes immediately and later in life.
• A child of any age, sex, race, religion, and socioeconomic
background can fall victim to child abuse and neglect.
Prevention efforts are directed at reducing the chances that
undesired future outcomes will occur.
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PURPOSE

• Health providers to fully utilize their infrastructure and

resources to educate patients/clients/communities on child
abuse through the health education sessions at the facilities
and outreach services.
• To prevent abuse from occurring rather than victims seeking
services at health facilities

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RATIONALE FOR PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE
• Three main reasons why child abuse must be prevented
1. To give children the best opportunity for their development
2. Support families before it is harder to change
3. It is cheaper to prevent abuse that incurring expenses in
treating the child when abused has occurred

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 PROCEDURES
• Plan and conduct outreach programs for the neighbourhood within
the vicinity of the health facility including schools
• Identify and work with a network of government actors and other
stakeholders in child protection for collaboration and coordination in
preventing child abuse
• Ensure you have the correct information on child abuse to use in
health education programs both at the health facility or during
community outreach
• Use information, education, and communication materials on child
protection in preventing child abuse
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• Have programmes that cater for both boys and girls. It is very
important to include programmes that involve boys because
they have been ignored in public health programs for a very
long term yet they must be protected from abuse.
• The health workers should get talking points with concrete
and practical ‘tips’ on positive parenting to use in child abuse
prevention programs

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HEALTH EDUCATION AT HEALTH
FACILITIES
• As a health worker, your mandate includes providing
preventative services of child abuse and not only clinical
management of the consequences of child abuse.
• Every health facility must schedule health workers with the
responsibility of health promotion and health education in the
facility
• Public and community health nurses have the prime
responsibility of conducting health promotion and health
education at health facilities
• Provide health education on preventing child abuse on
selected days in the outpatient department. 7
 PARENTING SKILLS
• Efforts and resources should be targeted at educating
parents/guardians on processes of child development to enable them
understand and manage the child’s behaviours as they grow up.
• This will help increase positive parent-child interaction and promote
pleasant experiences between the parent and the child.
• Parents/guardians should be trained in basic child rearing skills,
anger and stress management social competence, given marital
counselling and similar efforts to manage family resources and
attend to children’s needs.
• Parents/guardians should be encouraged to access information on
parenting which exists in various sources and formats.
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• In some situations, the child may also be the focus of child
prevention activities, like in case of children who
hyperactive, who may need guidance and counselling, or
assessment for psychological help.

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OUTREACH IN COMMUNITIES AND
SCHOOLS
• Outreaches are usually carried out by public and community
health workers
• One of your responsibilities as a health worker in preventing
child abuse is to provide health education during community
outreach programs
• Plan and conduct health education programmes on child
protection in your communities
• Plan and conduct health education programs for schools
enable children recognize signs of abuse and encourage them
to seek redress.
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 PARENTING SKILLS
• Efforts and resources should be targeted at educating
parents/guardians on processes of child development to enable them
understand and manage the child’s behaviours as they grow up.
• This will help increase positive parent-child interaction and promote
pleasant experiences between the parent and the child.
• Parents/guardians should be trained in basic child rearing skills,
anger and stress management social competence, given marital
counselling and similar efforts to manage family resources and
attend to children’s needs.
• Parents/guardians should be encouraged to access information on
parenting which exists in various sources and formats. 11
• In some situations, the child may also be the focus of child
prevention activities, like in case of children
• who hyperactive, who may need guidance and counselling, or
assessment for psychological help.

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 OBSTACLES IN PREVENTING CHILD ABUSE
• In the design of prevention programmes for your facility take into
consideration the following challenges:
i. Parents or guardians who have children that are abused are the least
likely to seek help of their own.
ii. Child abuse with such parents and guardians usually comes to the
attention of health workers because of other concerns, usually after
expected norms or laws have been violated.
iii. Most parents or guardians do not want to admit to problems
because of fear of losing their children to child protection services,
being charged with a crime or accused of being irresponsible.
iv. Parents who use drugs or alcohol may be more likely to abuse their
children. 13