|
Prevent Child Abuse America
takes an official position on issues vital to the well being of our nation's
children and families.
These
position statements and resolutions formalize PCA America's viewpoint
on public policies and issues that pertain to the prevention of child
abuse and neglect. They provide a framework for PCA America staff as it
performs such activities as responding to legislation, the media, and
judicial proceedings, as well as participating in public activities or
events.
PCA America has five
position statements, which speak to issues core to PCA America's
mission:
PCA America also has a body of resolutions that provide recommendations on public policies that are central but not core to PCA America's mission.
Early Childhood Development
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports directing significant resources to children ages 0-5, the period most critical to human development.
We support implementing and evaluating programs and services that start at birth, such as voluntary home visitation, parent support
and early childhood education programs.
Family Economic Stability and
Its Link to Child Welfare
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports providing services aimed at reducing poverty and fostering economic stability. Such services include
education and vocational training, substance abuse rehabilitation, housing services, health insurance, domestic violence counseling,
and child welfare services, among others to help bring low-income families to self-sufficiency. We also support adding poverty
reduction as one of the purposes of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and broadening the set of activities that fulfill
TANF work requirements to include mental health and substance abuse treatment, parent support groups, and home-visiting
programs and related family support programs.
Parent Mutual
Self-Help Support Groups
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports implementing and evaluating mutual self-help support groups that are free, confidential, anonymous,
non-judgmental, and promote positive, non-abusive parenting and parent leadership. We support building public awareness of the
benefits of parent support groups, such as Circle of Parents, in preventing child abuse and neglect.
Pediatric and Primary Care
Professionals and their Role in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports an on-going relationship between primary care professionals and parents, whereby pediatricians can monitor
and guide developmental progress, address parental concerns, and support parental care, capacities and needs. We also support
the implementation and evaluation of programs, such as STAGES, which help pediatricians and primary care professionals learn how
to communicate better with parents and work with community-based prevention programs to learn about resources available to
families.
Prenatal Care
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports funding and research for programs that promote early prenatal care, prenatal bonding activities, maternal
stress reduction techniques, and parent education, including voluntary home visiting services that provide support to pregnant
women and their families throughout pregnancy and beyond. We also support implementing accessible and affordable classes
through hospitals, clinics, and other medical establishments that educate pregnant women and expectant fathers on how best to
care for expectant mothers.
Sexual Solicitation of
Youth on the Internet
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports educating parents and children about the risks associated with online communication, and teaching parents
how to protect their children from the covert techniques used by sexual solicitors on the Internet. We also support educating the
public on how and where to report cases of sexual solicitation and providing mental health services, medical attention and tools to
help avoid future victimization to those who have suffered mentally and/or physically from sexual solicitation.
Child
Care
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports making high-quality child care affordable and accessible
to all families. PCA America also supports the provision of child care-related
education and livable wages to child care workers in order to build a
more qualified, stable and better-paid workforce.
Corporal
Punishment
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports banning, in every state, the use of corporal punishment
against children in all schools and institutions. PCA America also advocates
for providing initial and ongoing training to all teachers and staff on
alternative means of discipline.
Domestic
Violence
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports the development of comprehensive, community-based
prevention and intervention programs that seek to prevent family violence
and support parents. PCA America also supports advocacy efforts to increase
funding for domestic violence agencies, and to coordinate services among
such agencies, the child protection system, and the family and criminal
court systems.
Early
Hospital Discharge of Mothers and Newborns
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports allowing parents and their doctors determine the
length of post-pregnancy stay and additional postpartum visits, based
on the health and stability of the baby and the parent's confidence
and ability to care for the child.
Gun
Safety
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports using safety devices on guns, educating parents and
children about the risks of having guns in the home as well as the importance
of gun safety measures, and encouraging parents to inquire about the presence
of firearms in homes their children visit.
Home
Visiting
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports making home visiting services available on a voluntary
basis to expectant parents and families with newborns and young children
to promote positive parenting skills and healthy child development, and
to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Judicial
Proceedings
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports revising courtroom procedures to make them less intimidating
to the child. These revisions include: allowing the child's testimony
to be videotaped, reducing the size of the courtroom audience, using hearsay
evidence in preliminary hearings and/or asking the defendant to leave
the room during a child's testimony. PCA America also supports fostering
multidisciplinary collaborations, such as child advocacy centers, which
offer legal, medical and mental health services to children who are victims
of maltreatment.
Therapeutic
Care for Victims of Child Abuse
(click for full text) (PDF)
In order to break the cycle of child abuse, PCA America supports efforts
to offer diagnostic, therapeutic, and remedial services to child abuse
victims and their families. PCA America also support research and evaluation
projects that aim at determining the effectiveness of such services with
regard to victims of different ages, cultural backgrounds, and circumstances.
Use
of Addictive Substances During Pregnancy
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports educating expectant parents about the risks of drug,
alcohol, and tobacco use during pregnancy, and fostering collaboration
among child abuse advocates and substance abuse experts in order to address
the issue of pregnancy and addiction.
Violence
in the Media
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports reductions in the amount of violence depicted in
all forms of media, including but not limited to television, feature films,
computer and video games, and music lyrics and videos. PCA America also
supports ongoing collaboration among parents, educators, advocacy groups,
broadcasters and government in order to create additional hours of programming
depicting positive, nonviolent themes in media.
Bullying
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports encouraging all schools to create and implement an
anti-bullying policy to promote a safe learning environment for all children.
On
Mandatory Reporting by Clergy Suspected of Abuse
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports that no state should exempt clergy from laws that
mandate the reporting of suspected child abuse except in cases of the
clergy/penitent relationship as may be allowed by state law.
On
Religious Exemptions to Child Abuse/Neglect
(click for full text) (PDF)
PCA America supports repealing religious exemptions in medical situations that
are life-threatening or potentially disabling to a child.
|
