Friends National Center For Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

01/14/2025

On January 7, 2025 our Surgeon General, Dr. Vivck Hallegere Murthy, issued a report titled "My Parting Prescription for America." It contains his final reflections as he completes his time as U.S. Surgeon General, addressing a foundational—and urgent—question: what are the root causes of the pain and unhappiness so many are experiencing? Dr. Murthy's recognition of the importance of community to health and wellbeing led him to identify loneliness as an epidemic. This report lays out a pathway for how we can make the necessary critical shift to recenter our lives around community. Read the full Parting Prescription at https://ow.ly/v29k50UEJ16

01/11/2025

At FRIENDS as around the country, our hearts go out to those affected by the wildfires in southern California. Those supporting families may find this a good time to revisit this bulletin from our friends at the Child Welfare Information Gateway on supporting families through times of crisis.

face unique challenges during crises, but with the right resources, they can build . This guide from Child Welfare Information Gateway offers professionals actionable to support children and caregivers virtually. Dive into techniques that foster protective factors and enhance family strengths. https://bit.ly/4fj2DXq

01/10/2025

Did you make any resolutions this year? What are you doing this year to build your leadership skills? Eleanor Roosevelt knew the power of serving as a leader from whatever position she found herself in. Be like Eleanor this year and commit to leading from where you find yourself.

12/17/2024

Strong families need supportive communities - but exactly what policies make the biggest impacts in keeping families strong and children thriving! Lucky for us there's the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse, compiled by the Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center rates policies as effective, needs further study, ineffective, or harmful. See how your state is doing in keeping families strong!

How do you know if a state policy truly improves outcomes for infants, toddlers, and their families? We reviewed thousands of research studies for you.

11/20/2024

In honor of Native American Heritage month, we’d like to highlight some of the wonderful CBCAP work happening in tribal communities. FRIENDS staff, Samantha Florey and Magdalena Benitez had the opportunity to visit tribal grantee staff and learn about the important prevention activities happening in Native American communities in Alaska, Arizona, Oklahoma and Kansas. Family strengthening programming among the grantees is rooted in meeting the needs of their respective community and building trusting relationships while enhancing protective factors. At the core of many prevention activities is the goal strengthening families’ cultural connections within family systems and their tribal community. Family engagement and social connections activities include community garden projects, sewing classes, sustenance fishing and gathering, and a youth empowerment camp. Parent education programs like Family Spirit and Positive Indian Parenting are among the evidence informed practices being implemented. Cook Inlet Tribal Council in Alaska on working with families encourages us to consider, “Leading with community and culture, not curriculum.” ,

11/12/2024

It's National Adoption Month. The Children's Bureau is focusing on older youth and establishing lifelong connections that help assure they thrive. Check out this resource from our friends at the Child Welfare Information Gateway. This newsletter, The Adoption Triad, features an article that explores how our biases might affect the exploration of ongoing family connections. Helping youth involved in child welfare to connect or re-connect to kin - can be a pathway to those lifelong connections we all need. https://ow.ly/W3a750U3na8

10/17/2024

SAMHSA has named October as Substance Youth Prevention Month. They have chosen "Telling the Prevention Story" as the theme. We love that! We join with our prevention partners across sectors to promote these important values. By recognizing commonalities we maximize the power of prevention! What's your prevention story?

09/13/2024

It's National Child Welfare Workforce Development Month. Over the past five years FRIENDS along with our Parent Advisory Council members and national partners convened 11 teams in 2 cohorts to shift supports for children and families further upstream. These teams, made of of 11 states and one Tribal/Migrant CBCAP grantee were made up of CBCAP leads, child protection practitioners, community based organizations and parent leaders. They convened as the Prevention Mindset Institute. These teams are committed to making a shift to a prevention mindset in their state. They are a part of igniting the change in their state and we salute them! What changes do you see in your state? You can learn more about their work via the podcasts and other information at our website. https://friendsnrc.org/cbcap/prevention-mindset-institute/

09/08/2024

We join with our partners at the Children's Bureau, the Child Information Gateway, and many others to salute the siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends and neighbors who answer the call when a child known to them needs a caregiver. We celebrate kinship caregivers everyday and love that September is National Kinship Month. Read this message from Administration on Children, Youth, and Families Commissioner Rebecca Jones Gaston on how ACYF is promoting a Kin-First culture! https://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/article/2024/september/kinship-wins-a-message-from-commissioner-rebecca-jones-gaston/a0c28d5587fbc650978775d9cebb3506 , -First,

08/21/2024

Happy National Senior Citizens Day! 🎉 Let's honor and celebrate the wisdom, experience, and contributions of our elders. How are your prevention initiatives weaving in intergenerational programming or welcoming grandparents or other kin? Tag a senior citizen you admire!

08/16/2024

Do you know a champion for children? Someone working to improve the overall health and wellbeing of children and families? Someone tirelessly committed to strengthening families, shifting the child welfare system's focus to supporting families to be their best and preventing removal of children into foster care? You may know a Children's Bureau Champion. Nominations for Children's Bureau Champion Awards are being accepted until September 6. Check out the nomination packet athttps://nccan.acf.hhs.gov/uploads/CBAwardsNominationPacket.pdf
Photo by Fauzan Saari on Unsplash