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Building Health Communities-Child Protection Partners-A Healthy Communities Strategic Communities Blog

By Kathy Reiner, MPH, BSN, RN, AE-C, FNASN posted 01-13-2019 18:07

  

Building Healthy Communities requires collaboration with community partners by identifying resources, building bridges and breaking down barriers.  This blog is part of a series written by members of the Healthy Communities Strategic Committee describing how we have identified and created partnerships within our own state.

Every day in school nurse offices across the nation, children come to us with needs that are obvious and some that are not as obvious.  These needs, often disguised as physical complaints or behavioral challenges, are often related to exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences, (ACES), traumatic experiences, including abuse and neglect.    Recent advances in developmental science have shown that exposure to childhood adversity is associated with leading causes of morbidity and mortality as well as negative life outcomes including school failure.   As school nurses we are uniquely positioned to ensure that children receive the kinds of experiences that provide a sturdy foundation for healthy development.  Here are some of the many ways that school nurses help to build that sturdy foundation. 

Collaborate- In my own school nursing practice, part of my role is to liaison for my district with community Child Protective Services.  The relationship has been challenged by distrust of a system that often did not seem to solve the issues we were concerned about.  But, over the years I have observed the evolution of a system that both needs and wants to work with schools and realizes that in order to prevent child abuse, strategies must change to be supportive of families and work must include “upstream” approaches to develop policies that promote healthy child development.  I encourage you to reach out to your county and local child welfare services via these website links to begin or further your collaborative efforts.   Beyond mandatory reporting, schools are prime locations to provide and coordinate supportive services to children and families.  Link to list of prevention programs. 

Advocate.  Currently, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the main source of federal funding is for up for re-authorization.  This Child Maltreatment Solutions Network policy brief lists policies that we can advocate for in CAPTA reauthorization to improve prevention efforts, (e.g.  increasing community capacity for coordinating services and systems, investing in research to identify effective programs, and fostering innovation).   

Educate- ourselves, our colleagues, and our communities.  The Centers for Disease Control-ACES website is a great launching place to learn more about ACES and effective methods to prevent them.   Also see NASN’s position statement NASN Position Statement-Prevention and Treatment of Child Maltreatment for more on the Role of the School Nurse.

 21st Century School Nursing Practice-by implement the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice principles of care coordination through direct care and trusting relationships with students and families, collaboration with community partners, and implementing evidence based practices. 

I believe the future prosperity of our communities depends on successful prevention of child abuse and neglect.  To quote Dr. C. Henry Kemp, credited with first bringing attention to childhood physical abuse, “Our children’s future and world’s future are one.” 

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