NCJ Number
200982
Date Published
2003
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This chapter presents the rationale and features for school-based services for the prevention of child abuse and neglect and services for children in foster care.
Abstract
Schools can be a significant contributor to the prevention of child abuse and neglect due to staff training and expertise, the availability of physical facilities, and the school's responsibility for the development of nearly all community children 5- to 17-years-old. The chapter first describes the features of school-based education/prevention programs for children and adolescents. Areas that can be addressed by schools are an awareness among students of family violence and sexual assault, including date rape; life-skills training; preparation for adulthood and parenthood; self-protection training; after-school programs; support for adolescent parents and their children; and referral sources for teens. The chapter also lists features of joint school-community programs. These include school-based health and mental health programs in cooperation with community agencies and organizations; staff training in the nature of community resources for students; and joint school-community parent education programs. Suggestions are also listed for individual action by teachers and school personnel that can aid in preventing child abuse and neglect. Another section of the chapter lists services that schools can provide for children in foster care. These include computerized records on health status as well as academic performance that can be transferred to all schools; in-school counseling to provide support and educational planning; and funding services to assist foster high-school students in pursuing a college education. Also discussed in the chapter are staff training for reporting and detecting child abuse and neglect, as well as school handling of teachers and school personnel who may be perpetrators of various forms of child abuse. 2 resources