Program:
Trainings
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- Population Served:
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Program Description:
PCAK believes every citizen plays a role in preventing child abuse. PCAK curriculums address current trends & best practice while equipping participants with tools to prevent child maltreatment within their communities. Through workshops, institutes, conferences & educational forums, PCAK facilitates opportunities for professionals across multiple disciplines to engage in child abuse & neglect prevention. Attendees leave each event with research based information; new perspectives; increased skills; & resource materials. Training content enhances the audience's ability to identify & respond to child maltreatment; support parents; strengthen families; & enhance the safety & well-being of Kentucky's children. PCAK workshops include: Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma;Preventing Child Maltreatment Deaths; Internet Safety; Recognizing, Reporting Child Abuse & Neglect; The Connection Between DV & Child Maltreatment;Working with Families in Recovery to Prevent Child Abuse, to name a few.
Program Long-Term Success:
In keeping with the Economic Impact Study (Prevent Child Abuse America, September 2007), it can be said children who suffer abuse and/or neglect are not afforded the opportunity to develop and grow to their full potential and are at greater risk of abusing substances, committing criminal acts, entering into abusive relationships and abusing their own children. Educational outreach increases the number of individuals who learn about and have access to resources to support and strengthen families, intervene in the lives of children suffering harm and are invested in the welfare of children. As the number of citizens involved in efforts to combat violence against children rises, there will be less substance abuse, less criminal activity, and less family violence which will increase the number of children who develop and grow to reach their full potential. The ultimate goal is that every child is cherished and nurtured in a safe environment.
Program Short-Term Success:
In SFY 2009, PCAK provided 47 trainings on recognizing and reporting child abuse, 5 on community engagement in child abuse prevention efforts and the annual Kids Are Worth It! ® conference (37 multidisciplinary workshops). Additionally, PCAK provided coordination of Continuing Education Credits in conjunction with 7 workshops facilitated by Dr. Melissa L. Currie, American Board of Pediatrics Certified Child Abuse Pediatrician. Upwards of 2250 professionals participated in these events. Having a reputation for producing high quality training events has led to additional opportunities for outreach including playing a key role in the development of HB 285, a bill passed during the 2010 General Assembly, which mandates education for various Kentucky professionals and citizens on the recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head injury. PCAK is working with the University of Louisville and Kosair Children's Hospital to develop the curricula to satisfy this mandate.
Program Success Monitored by:
PCAK tracks the number of requests received for technical assistance, resources, and additional training. An increase in the number of individuals shows a greater societal commitment to building nurturing safe environments for children and families. Training evaluations gauge how pertinent information provided to the audience is and to solicit information for program improvement. By asking participants various questions on how they will incorporate prevention or change their daily practice due to the knowledge they received during the training, the evaluation tool serves a secondary purpose of solidifying a commitment from participants to take action. Depending on the audience and topic of discussion, PCAK staff may incorporate activities specifically asking for a commitment with the understanding PCAK staff will follow up via email or phone call. The annual conference workshops are evaluated and an online survey is sent soliciting feedback on how workshop information is being used.
Program Success Examples:
Comments from the 2011 Kids Are Worth It! Conference:* ""Best total group of presenters/speakers I've seen in years.""* ""This conference was a great educational, networking, and motivational experience. I hope to come back next year.""* ""This was the first time I've been able to attend this conference. I absolutely loved it. I'm already thinking about how I could come to the next one! As a social worker in the field the information I obtained here will be very helpful.""* ""My first experience with Kids Are Worth It was amazing! Thank you for offering such an important conference to the community.""* ""Excellent workshop and speakers! Great conference!""
Program:
Self Help, Parent Education and Support Groups
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Program Description:
The goal of self-help, parent education & support group services is to produce behavioral changes in participants that will result in safety, well-being & permanency for children & families. Through PCAK's network of parent education groups, individuals are able to discuss common concerns & challenges facing them as parents. Programs work in collaboration with the local Department for Community Based Services & other community partners to promote positive outcomes for children & families as they support families navigating the child protection system. During the state fiscal year 2012 there were 23 parent education and support group programs reporting 14,860 incidents of parent education service to areas across KY.
Program Long-Term Success:
Self-help, parent education and support groups implement programs that encourage long-term change in parents. The ultimate, long-term result should be behavioral change resulting from an increased knowledge and understanding of how children develop and what parents may expect at each development stage. There should be a decrease in reoccurrence of abuse in families. There ought to be a decrease in stresses and/or addictions that put children at risk within families who go through parent education services. There should be an increase in connection of families to other families and parents to other parents, offering mutual support. There should be an increase in the connection between at-risk families/parents and local community resources.
Program Short-Term Success:
Parent education services work to implement programs which encourage short-term achievements and improvements in parents. Successes include immediate improvement in the bonding and communication between parents and children, along with an immediate understanding of coping skills to manage a busy life. There should be an immediate understanding of the resources within the local community that reduce stress and increase access to social and health-care services. 59% of participants during FY 2010 reported a large increase in their awareness of support networks or available resources in their community based on their experience with parent education programs. 86.3% of respondents stated they agreed they had more people to support them than before attending the parenting program. Since attending the program, 96% of participants in FY 2010 stated they understood their children's behavior, and 95% stated they had learned to handle conflict in a healthy way.
Program Success Monitored by:
Parent education services are monitored via monthly processing of information, monthly program reviews and tracking. This includes monthly attendance reports, outcome data collection via a validated evaluation (a post-test measuring success, with a collection of qualitative and quantitative data.), processing of billing and programmatic technical assistance. Onsite program monitoring occurs at each provider's site once during each state fiscal year ensuring the provider is in compliance with their grant proposal and contractual agreements. During FY 2011 there were 1,782 group meetings conducted, with a total of 19,391 incidents of parent education service. 19 agencies will be providing services, with at least one agency in each region, during FY 2012.
Program Success Examples:
Comments made by participants during FY 10:""When I was first recommended to take these classes I was upset at the fact someone thought I needed help on being a better parent!! After finally completing them, I now realize that there are choices and decisions I can make to have a different outcome in the relationship I have with my kids. Thanks so much for all the understanding, listening and patience you have had.""""This class has really opened my eyes into new ways to understand my children's behavior. I have learned new ways to cope with stress and ways to compromise with my kids. I can't explain all the ways this class has really helped me improve my parenting skills!"" ""I have really learned a lot from these classes. I understand that our children need us more than anything. I learned that we went about it the wrong way, and this class helped me understand the things the kids need from us. Our kids see a change in us. I would refer this class to anyone.""
Program:
PCAK Resources
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Program Description:
The three primary PCAK resources are: 1-800-CHILDREN a toll-free parent helpline. Callers can access valuable information regarding parenting, prevention, volunteer opportunities and resources in local communities. The PCAK Information Center : Kentucky's premier source of information for child abuse and neglect prevention. The Center informs Kentuckians via data, research findings, national and state trends and best practices; and utilizes all media formats to inform the public of PCAK programs as well as national, state and local partners' child abuse prevention initiatives. Promise Not to Tell, a video series used to educate teachers and other school personnel about sexual abuse. The three part series includes information regarding Recognizing and Responding to Sexual Abuse, Reporting and Investigating Sexual Abuse and Dealing with the Long Term Consequences of Sexual Abuse. A companion series addressing physical abuse is under production.
Program Long-Term Success:
Long-term success will result in the reduction of the number of incidents of child abuse and neglect of children in Kentucky. This long-term success is achieved through the delivery of resources that 1) provides parents and caregivers with a direct lifeline of support through 1-800-CHILDREN. 2) Provides parents, caregivers, professionals and citizens information regarding parent education and getting involved in prevention efforts through the Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky Resource Library and 3) Provides educators with knowledge and tools allowing them to appropriately and effectively respond to children who disclose information regarding having been sexually abused. Long-term success will also include being able to validate outcomes by seeing trends in the reduction of substantiated child abuse and neglect cases in areas where Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky Resources are being utilized.
Program Short-Term Success:
Short-term successes include increased education, awareness and involvement in efforts toward preventing the abuse and neglect of Kentucky's children. Every caller to 1-800-CHILDREN is given information about parenting, prevention and/or resources that they presumably did not have before calling, thereby achieving greater awareness, education or information. Additionally, every individual, agency or group accessing information from the resource library, will also receive information and in many cases, share information accessed with other individuals and/or groups. Finally, with each viewing of ""Promise Not to Tell,"" another person working with children and subject to having a child disclose sexual abuse to them, will be armed with the necessary information to respond appropriately to that disclosure, thereby, protecting that child from further sexual harm.
Program Success Monitored by:
Program monitoring is an important component of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky Resources. All 1-800-CHILDREN incoming calls are tracked and information is gathered regarding geographical distribution of calls. This data helps determine where and when this service is being used, and where increased promotion of this service is necessary. Kentucky data is compared to other state chapters of Prevent Child Abuse America. Log sheets are completed for each incoming call that gather important data regarding the nature of the call and service provided. PCAK Resource Library and ""Promise Not to Tell"" materials are also tracked and monitored. Data such as the number of materials requested, the discipline of the person making the request and the part of the state where the requests are coming from. This information tells us who is using materials and how materials are being used.
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Awareness
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Program Description:
PCAK seeks to raise awareness regarding the importance of child maltreatment prevention in all its activities. Some specific activities include: April - Child Abuse Prevention Month (CAPM), the Kids Are Worth It! Conference (KAWI), and legislative advocacy. CAPM outreach activities are conducted throughout Kentucky. These include the Pinwheels for Prevention Campaign, public forums, media events, distribution of information to engage local businesses, schools, public officials, and families. KAWI is Kentucky's only statewide multidisciplinary prevention conference, engaging over 400 participants annually for 16 years. Advocacy efforts have resulted in forging critical partnerships to assist in advocating PCAK's mission. Strong partnerships exist with corporations, government agencies, policymakers and others. PCAK has worked with the legislative administrative branch, successfully advocating for important statute changes.
Program Long-Term Success:
The long term awareness activities will result in recognition throughout Kentucky of the magnitude of the problem of child maltreatment. All citizens will understand how to recognize a child at risk and a family in need. But, more importantly, communities will be equipped with the knowledge to better understand their role in prevention. Through awareness activities, citizens will be able to act individually, and in concert with community organizations, to support families and protect children. The need to increase community awareness and build community capacity is supported through KAWI, a time at which professionals from across the state are afforded the opportunity to learn best practice, and share success strategies. By advocating in all branches of government, and with other civic and corporate organizations, PCAK is able to impact policy and practice to provide support to local community efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect.
Program Short-Term Success:
In the short term, PCAK will strategically target messaging to specific agencies, individuals, corporations, faith community and others in an effort to build statewide and community will. Legislators, policy makers and community leaders will be given the information needed to understand their role in awareness and prevention. Short term goals include assuring every county participates in awareness activities, that leaders use their voices to engage communities in awareness activities and that decision makers are fully engaged and supportive of statewide and community based efforts. Legislative advocacy assisted in the passage of important legislation in 2010 to address the awareness and prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome. PCAK will continue to support passage on this type of legislation.
Program Success Monitored by:
As with all programs, PCAK engages in self-evaluation to measure success. For instance, all training content provided at KAWI is evaluated at the workshop and overall conference level. This is conducted using both workshop evaluations, and electronic surveys of all participants. This information is provided to the multidisciplinary planning committee for continuous quality improvement in each subsequent year. This evaluation and quality improvement process has resulted in continuing growth of KAWI for 15 years. Similarly, other outreach efforts are measured. Data is collected on the number of awareness activities in each county, the number or resource distributed, media releases, etc. Participant feedback is also sought. Through both surveys, and focus groups, communities are engaged in quality improvement efforts. PCAK will monitor the implementation of legislation it supports, participate in evaluation efforts and advocate for needed change.
Program Success Examples: