Every April, Child Abuse Prevention Month focuses on the importance of ensuring children feel safe and protected, families are supported, and efforts to end child abuse and neglect are ongoing.
Over the past several years, there has been a growing movement towards preventing child maltreatment and enhancing child safety by providing supports that keep families strong and stable.
Supporting and strengthening families is an approach that is reinforced through policies that emphasize upstream intervention and provides families the resources they need to raise happy, healthy children.
To give recognition to this important work, the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) has developed the following Child Abuse Prevention Month Digital Media Kit that includes resources, materials, and social media posts for individuals and community organizations to use.
View or download the full digital media kit.
Publications
- Mandated Reporter Poster: Includes information to support families through community resources, details on how to report child abuse and neglect and provides a definition for mandatory reporters.
- Child Abuse Prevention Month Card: This card promotes Child Abuse Prevention Month and includes a URL and QR code linking to the Five Protective Factors webpage. On the backside is a page for children to color.
- Strengthening Families Coloring Book: A fun-filled, Northwest-themed coloring book for the whole family featuring everyone’s favorite Sasquatch, giving families an opportunity to learn the Five Protective Factors through creative play.
- What Makes A Hero Coloring Book: A coloring book in the comic book tradition showing page-by-page examples of “What Makes a Hero?” There is a blank page that prompts children to draw and color their favorite thing to do with their hero.
- Find the Strengths 5 Protective Factors Poster: Similar to “Where’s Waldo?,” this large-sized, full-color poster features a handful of scenes showing examples of the five protective factors in action.
News Articles
- DCYF staff joins families and advocates at the Capitol building each year and plants thousands of silver and blue pinwheels as part of
Child Abuse Prevention Month. Read more about the Pinwheel Planting event, part of the annual Pinwheels for Prevention campaign.
Videos
- Pinwheel Planting Video: Every spring, hundreds of silver and blue pinwheels are planted near the Capitol building in Olympia. Pinwheels are the nationally recognized symbol for child abuse awareness and prevention.
Social Media
Reshare Child Abuse Prevention Month Posts from DCYF's Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.
- Week 1: Supporting and Strengthening Families is Child Abuse Prevention featuring ways you can support families during difficult times.
- Week 2: “Find the Strengths 5 Protective Factors” Video A magnifying glass guides viewers through a lively town scene highlighting various examples of people and families showcasing the 5 Protective Factors.
- Week 3: Resources to support families highlighting Parent Trust for Washington Children and Help Me Grow Washington.
Web Links
- What is child abuse and neglect?: Provides definitions and signs of child abuse and neglect.
- Resources for Mandatory Reporters to Support Families: A list of local resources to support families with basic needs,
- parenting education, and more.
- Ten Things You Can Do to Prevent Child Abuse: Shares ways anyone can help prevent child abuse and neglect.
- Tips to Prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome: Provides parents with calming techniques and ways to take breaks.
- Five Protective Factors: Explains the five protective factors