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Injury Prevention & Control: Division of Violence Prevention

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We have created this site because state health departments can play a leading role in child maltreatment prevention through programs and services that enhance family resiliency and foster positive child development. With public health infrastructure existing in every state and territory within the United States, the public health system is well-positioned to create a prevention system for children and families. We hope the information provided in this site is helpful in supporting your efforts to promote the health and well-being of children.

This work was supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

In partnership with National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Division of Violence Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CDC Foundation

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FRAMEWORK > RESOURCES > 2.1 DESIGNATE A LEAD
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STRATEGIES

 

2.1 DESIGNATE A LEAD

It is important to have a designated lead for child maltreatment prevention within your health department. A lead can provide oversight in developing a focused child maltreatment prevention effort within the department (linking programs and services), identify new opportunities, and facilitate collaboration with external agencies and organizations.

Define the Lead

There are different options for creating your lead. Each model offers different opportunities to leverage resources, seek partners, and promote child maltreatment prevention as a public health issue. This is similar to designating a lead in other programmatic areas, such as Adolescent Health, Early Childhood, Rural Health, and Women’s Health.

How it Might Work:

  • an administrator with broad responsibilities, such as your state’s maternal and child health or injury and violence prevention director
  • an individual charged with overseeing specific efforts, such as home visitation programs or child maltreatment surveillance
  • a dedicated program focused on child maltreatment prevention

Expertise Your Lead Should Have:

  • knowledge of primary prevention of child maltreatment
  • convening stakeholders and effective collaboration
  • skills using data to inform programs and policy
  • ability to implement evidence-based and evidence-informed programs

Location:

Where the designated lead is located in your organizational structure is also important. Think about whether there is sufficient infrastructure to manage child maltreatment prevention initiatives and partnerships. Consider whether there are appropriate staff competencies and resources available to support prevention efforts and ensure sustainability.

Consider

  • Is there a child maltreatment prevention lead that serves as a point of contact within the health department and to external organizations? If not, have you considered designating a lead person or program?
  • Does the child maltreatment prevention lead work with other programs and organizations as needed? What facilitates or hinders those relationships?
  • Does the lead have the necessary core competencies or access to staff with core competencies (e.g., epidemiology, implementing and evaluating evidence-based programs, collaboration, etc.)?
  • Is the organizational location a good fit for supporting child maltreatment prevention efforts?
  • Does location facilitate work across programs/administrative units (especially programs serving families and children)?

 

2.1 RESOURCES

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