- Home
- » Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect
- » Public Awareness & Creating Supportive Communities
- » Developing an Effective Child Abuse Prevention Message
Developing an Effective Child Abuse Prevention Message
Child abuse prevention messages that take a positive approach, emphasizing the many ways communities can support and strengthen families, are more likely to resonate with the public. When developing your message, keep your target audience in mind and tailor the message to reflect the audience's point of view. You may also consider the method of communication and who will deliver the message.
Use the following resources to learn more about developing an effective child abuse prevention message.
Effective Communication About the Early Years: Understanding the Basics of Framing (PDF - 120 KB)
ZERO TO THREE Policy Center (2006)
Introduces the concepts behind effective communications, the fundamentals of framing, and reframing messages to policymakers and the public about early childhood development.
Framing Child Abuse and Neglect: Effects of Early Childhood Development Experimental Research: A FrameWorks Research Report (PDF - 4424 KB)
FrameWorks Institute (2009)
Presents research on effectively communicating with the public about child abuse prevention, compares different "frames" for talking about child abuse and early childhood development, and discusses how those frames affect public support for policies that improve children's development and prevent child abuse and neglect.
Impact and Value: Telling Your Program's Story
Lavinghouze & Price (2007)
Describes practical methods for documenting program achievements and collecting success stories as ways to generate community support. Although the tool uses examples from the field of public health, the methods can be applied to any program seeking to share its story. (PDF - 585 KB)
Reframing the Issue: A New Child Maltreatment Prevention Message (PDF - 92 KB)
Wrisley
North Carolina Medical Journal, 66, 2005
Cites research findings on the public's frame of reference on child maltreatment and neglect, explains different types of public campaigns and strategies, and makes recommendations for future public awareness efforts.
Solutions Storytelling: Messaging to Mobilize Support for Children's Issues (PDF - 554 KB)
Child Advocacy 360 Foundation & Topos Partnership (2010)
Describes strategies for developing solutions-based messages based on five core story elements: Connection to community, big picture thinking, communicating necessity, inspiring action, and proving effectiveness.
Speaking of Children Message Memo (PDF - 483 KB)
Westen (2010)
Details how the public views the need to invest in children, even in very difficult economic times, and lists keys to effective messaging on children's issues.
Storytelling, Social Movements, and the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect
Tanzer (2010)
Provides the text and audio from a webinar presented to the Federal Interagency Work Group on Child Abuse and Neglect in January 2010. The webinar describes how to reframe the issue of child abuse prevention to encourage public action by addressing key elements of successful social movements, ways to increase public understanding of prevention, structuring a core story, and engaging policymakers, partners, and the public.
Writing Reports and Telling Success Stories (PDF - 35 KB)
FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (2009)
Discusses strategies for sharing the results of a program evaluation to build greater public understanding and support for family support/child abuse prevention services. The document describes the components of an outcome report and includes strategies for presenting findings to stakeholders, funders, and community members.