Child Abuse Prevention Month 2014
Getting Involved
Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee
615-383-0994
www.pcat.org
Pinwheels for Prevention
What is it?
Pinwheels for Prevention ® uses the pinwheel as a symbol for child abuse and neglect
prevention statewide. The campaign represents efforts to change the way our state thinks about prevention, focusing on activities and policies that make sure abuse and neglect never occur.
How Does it Work?
The pinwheel is reflective of the bright futures all children deserve. Pinwheels for Prevention provides an opportunity for all of us to take action by learning more about prevention,
supporting child and family friendly policies and services, and volunteering. Join us in preventing the abuse and neglect of our state’s children.
The Pinwheel Garden
The Pinwheel Garden is a visual reminder that we can ensure our state’s children are raised in healthy, stable, and nurturing environments. Pinwheels can stand for the following:
• The number of children served by your agency, promoting the good work happening in your community.
• The number of healthy births in your community.
Engage your Board, committees, and volunteers, by asking them to:
• Get the word out by discussing the campaign with groups to which they belong
(professional associations, service clubs, or religious institutions) or on their personal blogs or social media pages, introducing the organization to media contacts they may have or inviting a representative to make a presentation at their place of employment.
• Identify corporate sponsorship opportunities and/or provide staff with leads that may be willing to sponsor Child Abuse Prevention Month activities.
• Create a pinwheel garden in their own neighborhood by inviting neighbors to plant pinwheels in front of their homes.
• Engage neighborhood businesses by planting a pinwheel garden on the building’s or office park’s premises.
Wear Blue Day
What is it?
Wear Blue Day is a day (or days) in April when individuals, employees, and community members
are encouraged to wear the color blue to represent their support of Child Abuse Prevention Month in Tennessee.
How Does it Work?
Utilizing the flier, companies, schools, faith based organization, as well as individuals are
encouraged to wear blue. Many corporations may choose to form partnerships with local child abuse prevention efforts, making this day an opportunity to raise awareness and funds.
Examples include: providing literature and information on prevention; asking employees to donate $5 to wear blue jeans to work and contributing funds raised to local efforts, wearing buttons that read, “Ask me why I am wearing blue”.
Stewards of Children Training
Stewards of Children is a two hour prevention program that teaches adults how to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. April is a wonderful time to host a training for organizations that serve youth and for individuals concerned about the safety of children. To host a free training, contact PCAT or your local Children’s Advocacy Center.
Social Media
In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month, we encourage everyone to commit to the below actions, and share what you’ve done with us via email, Twitter, Facebook, blog, Vine, Instagram or whatever social media platform you prefer:
• Offering to help a parent or family in your neighborhood • Volunteering at a local child-serving program
• Donating money to organizations that serve children and promote abuse prevention
Post your pictures!
Join us in our social media outreach by posting your pictures of Pinwheel Gardens, Wear Blue Day, and other Child Abuse Prevention Month activities, and tag Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee.
Direct help to families in need
Host a Diaper Drive
One in three families struggle to provide their babies with a basic essential—diapers.
This is called diaper need, and there’s very little help or public resources that address this issue. Hosting a Diaper Drive in your community—especially during Child Abuse Prevention Month—can be a rewarding way to make a real difference. A few easy steps can ensure a successful drive:
• Find a storage place to collect diapers (a cardboard box even works). Remember diaper drives can include pull ups and wipes!
• Explain what you are doing to your friends, family, neighbors, and community and ask them to help by donating diapers. Get corporations and community clubs involved.
• Remember, every diaper counts, and your diaper drive will raise much-needed awareness about the critical issue of diaper need and supporting families.
Collect Diaper Bag donations
Diaper bags are a critical tool in engaging families in child abuse prevention programming such as home visiting. Organizing diaper bags to be given to families is a great way to impact babies in your community with a few essentials to get families off to a great start. Ask your friends and family to be involved by filling diaper bags too. Remember to stick to the list of approved items below so your donation can be shared safely with families (include any or all of the items in a bag):
• Diapers of any brand in any size • Unscented wipes in any brand • Halo Sleep Sack
• Infant board book
• White socks in sizes 0-12 months • Outlet covers
• Infant nasal aspirator • Infant nail clippers • Digital thermometers • Foldable changing pad • Solid white burp cloths
• White Onesies in sizes 0-12 months • Gender neutral bibs with Velcro closures • Small gender neutral infant toy
Diapers, wipes, and diaper bags can be donated to Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee to be shared with home visiting programs across the state, going directly to families who most need them.
Sample CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION MONTH PROCLAMATION TEMPLATE
Ask mayors, Representatives and County level legislators to become involved in Child Abuse Prevention Month by asking them to sponsor and sign the Proclamation.
Whereas, child abuse and neglect is a community condition and problem and finding solutions depends on involvement among people in the community;
Whereas, approximately 3 million children are reported abused and neglected in this country each year with nearly 17,000 children here in Tennessee each year;
Whereas, the effects of child abuse and neglect are felt by whole communities, and need to be addressed by the entire community;
Whereas, Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, the Tennessee Child Abuse Prevention Network, and the Tennessee Children's Trust Fund are sponsoring several events throughout the month to heighten public awareness of abuse and neglect in communities around the state. These events will provide information and materials that support families to prevent child
maltreatment and celebrate people who work with and support children and families; and, Whereas, a statewide “Pinwheels for Prevention” campaign has been launched through the media, public schools, libraries, social service agencies, and businesses during the month of April to celebrate and bring awareness of the great potential of all children in Rhode Island and the need to strengthen all families with support and nurturing; and,
Whereas, the “Pinwheels for Prevention” campaign includes the planting of “Pinwheel Gardens” statewide celebrating community partnerships for strengthening the family and protecting all children from abuse and neglect;
Whereas, effective child abuse prevention programs succeed because of partnerships created among social service agencies, schools, religious and civic organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the business community;
Whereas, all citizens should become more aware of the negative effects of child abuse and its prevention within the community, and become involved in supporting parents to raise their children in a safe, nurturing environment;
Now, Therefore, I _________________do hereby proclaim April, 2011 as Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month in Tennessee and call upon all citizens, community agencies,
religious organizations, medical facilities, and businesses to increase their participation in our efforts to prevent child abuse, thereby strengthening the communities in which we live.
