Is it possible to make changes that will keep children safe and help them to grow up healthy, loved, and thriving?
A. Absolutely. We already know what it takes to raise healthy, safe children. Most parents do a pretty good job of raising their children–although most would like to do better. We also know some will fail if they do not receive assistance early on, and that a very few parents cannot and will never be able to provide adequately for their children. What is needed is a concerted national effort to ensure that all of these families have support and resources available to them before they encounter problems. Public commitment to and involvement in the prevention of child abuse continues to be high. A 1999 survey conducted by Prevent Child Abuse America found that when observing an act of abuse or neglect, more than half of the general public and almost two-thirds of all parents would take some action to reduce the child’s risk of further harm. More than half of the individuals electing not to intervene in these cases were uncertain as to what action to take or felt the situation was “none
