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Child Abuse Prevention

Image of a family sitting on the floor

Child Abuse Prevention

Support is available for people overwhelmed by the demands of parenting. 

If you or someone you know feels overwhelmed, call Parenting Awareness Michigan (PAM) at 1-800-968-4968 for information about family support resources in your community.

a clipboard that lists out the 5 protective factors used to prevent child abuse

Keep kids safe by building Protective Factors

We can help to build strong families and reduce the risk of child abuse by supporting strong protective factors. Protective Factors can be found both in individuals and communities and are important to improve the health and well-being of kids and families in Michigan. This graphic provides a short description for each protective factor. 

Families that know how to access resources and have an understanding of the importance of protective factors will be more resilient. Professionals partnering with families and caregivers can utilize the information found in this Protective Factors Conversations Guide to help start the conversation. 

For more information on Protective Factors and other ways to prevent child abuse, check out the 2023-2024 Resource Guide published by the Administration for Children and Families. 

 

Get more information from Children Trust Michigan

The Importance of Body Safety and Boundary Setting

Kids need to understand the importance of Body Safety and Boundaries. Teaching them their rights, and empowering them to speak for themselves, will help reduce their risk of being impacted by abuse. Below are resources that can be used to have difficult conversations and help kids navigate these topics. 

A small section of a document that helps start the body safety conversation with kids.

Start the conversation

Caregivers that work with children need to be comfortable and confident to have the body safety and boundaries discussion with kids.
Use this short guide to start the conversation
A graphic that covers body safety rules for kids to use

Help kids set rules

Empowered kids will take body safety and boundary setting into their own hands. The Body Safety Rules flyer can help to guide them.

Download the Body Safety Rules flyer
TEN-4-FACESp image with information on identifying child abuse in kids under 4

TEN-4-FACESp

Seasoned professionals may experience difficulty identifying physical abuse in children under the age of 4. Recognizing these injuries can be very difficult. The TEN-4-FACESp video will provide a tool to assist in responding to and preventing injuries of physical child abuse. 

View the TEN-4-FACESp video.

View the TEN-4-FACESp Diagram

Our Partners in Prevention

  • The Michigan Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, Children Trust Michigan is an advocacy organization with a focus on preventing child abuse at the state level. In addition to an online resource library, Children Trust Michigan offers a network of family resource centers across the state. 

    View a full list of their partner offices here: Prevention_Partner_Contact_List_for_Website.pdf (cdn-website.com)

  • The Children's Bureau is an office of the Federal Administration for Children and Families and provides resources on many things including child abuse. Their Child Welfare Information Gateway provides resources for families, caregivers, and advocates.
  • Prevent Child Abuse America is an organization committed to preventing child abuse and neglect before it happens and provides resource materials that can be used for prevention campaigns, conversation starters, and more. In addition to their online educational materials, they serve as a national network for state-level advocacy centers.