We want to take a moment to share the link to a recent Guest Column in the Crestview News Bulletin by T. Wayne Davis, Chairman of the Board for the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida where Healthy Families Florida and Prevent Child Abuse Florida are house. In this column Davis talks about healthy families, home visiting, and the prevention of child abuse and neglect. We hope you will take a look and let us know what you think and how you might use this information in your communities as well. We have also pasted a brief excerpt below.
"Ensuring children are safe and nurtured at home, while stemming the tide
of kids coming into state care, has been the work of Healthy Families
Florida since its legislative inception in 1998. Administered by the
private, nonprofit Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida through a network
of local providers, Healthy Families is the state’s preeminent child
abuse prevention program. A rigorous independent evaluation revealed
that Healthy Families is an effective prevention measure. Healthy
Families prevents abuse and neglect for 98 percent of children in
high-risk families served. Recent analysis shows that 95 percent of
children served also remained free from abuse and neglect three years
following program services."
The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida is working closely with Prevent Child Abuse America national office staff and the chapter network on "Awaken to Change - The National Conference for America's Children" in Jacksonville. We couldn't be more thankful for all of their support and we wanted to take a moment to introduce them to you: The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida is a private, nonprofit corporation dedicated to shaping prevention policy and investing in innovative prevention programs that provide measurable benefits to Florida's children, families and communities. The Ounce of Prevention Fund has also created and implemented a variety of multi-media social marketing campaigns to address significant issues including drowning, child abuse, shaken baby syndrome and sleep-related infant death. The Ounce of Prevention Fund has worked closely with Prevent Child Abuse America for many years and is the administrative home of Healthy Families Florida and Prevent Child Abuse Florida. Prevent Child Abuse Florida coordinates the implementation of a year-long public awareness campaign called Pinwheels for Prevention statewide. The multi-channel social marketing campaign includes statewide broadcast of Emmy-award winning television and radio public service announcements, distribution of printed materials, coordination of statewide campaign kick-off event, distribution of pinwheels, advertisement of local campaign events and development of collateral materials. Prevent Child Abuse Florida has been actively involved in the National Movement for America's Children. The chapter organized a listening tour for the President of Prevent Child Abuse America in Central Florida with grandparents in the fall of 2011 and is gearing up for another one in Jacksonville prior to the National Conference at one of the largest naval air stations with military families. Learn more about all of the great work The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida is doing here. And click here to learn more about the conference!
Chicago, Illinois, March 8, 2011 – Prevent Child Abuse America is pleased to announce that it’s next national conference has been scheduled for October 12 - 15, 2012 at the Jacksonville, Florida Hyatt Riverside.
The conference will be a unique and innovative experience for the participants with its focus on healthy childhood development, advancing public policy, what’s working in child abuse and neglect prevention, messaging, corporate responsibility and all how all of these moving parts will ultimately allow Prevent Child Abuse America and its partners to engage citizens everywhere in a national movement for children, their families and the communities they live in.
“This is not going to be like any other conference people have been to before,” says James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. “We believe that when all children don’t have equal opportunity for growth and development we put our future as a society at risk. We also believe though, that when we focus on healthy child development and supporting families and citizens in the communities they live in as we plan to do at the conference, great things can happen for children and for the nation.”
Prevent Child Abuse America is also pleased to be holding the conference not just in the state of Florida, which has widely embraced home visiting and other innovative prevention programming, but in Jacksonville itself, the inaugural city selected as a Pinwheels City, USA for its integrated and forward thinking around supporting families and the prevention of child and abuse and neglect before it ever occurs.
“We are extremely pleased Prevent Child Abuse America is hosting this national conference in Florida’s largest and perhaps most progressive city,” says Christie Ferris, Director of Prevent Child Abuse Florida. “We are proud of Jacksonville’s innovative efforts to create communities where families are valued and supported and children have a variety of opportunities for healthy growth and development. We hope this conference will strengthen existing infrastructure and advance efforts on behalf of children and families not only in Jacksonville, but throughout Florida and across the country as well.”
Prevent Child Abuse America has also confirmed dates for its 2014 conference, which will also be held at the Jacksonville Hyatt Riverside, and those dates are May 18 – 21, 2014.
TALLAHASSEE, FL - The Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recognized a series of three 30-second ads created for Florida's Pinwheels for Prevention campaign with an Emmy Award in the Community/Public Service category. The Ounce of Prevention Fund, the Florida chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, contracted with Ron Sachs Communications to produce the ads in English, Spanish and Creole as part of the chapter's implementation of a national campaign to prevent child abuse and neglect.
The spots, which feature a teacher, neighbor, CEO, law enforcement officer and NBA star Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, focus on the many benefits of preventing child abuse and neglect before it ever begins. "We hope these spots help people realize that child abuse and neglect has a lasting effect on us all and that we can all play a part in ensuring every child has an equal opportunity for healthy growth and development," said Christie Ferris, Director of Prevent Child Abuse Florida.
Prevent Child Abuse America is spearheading the national Pinwheels for Prevention campaign in an effort to create a national movement to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children. "The Pinwheels for Prevention campaign has been gaining momentum in Florida and across the nation," said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. "We were happy to contribute to the success of this campaign and are extremely proud of the work being done through our Florida chapter. We also want to thank Dwight Howard for taking the time to appear in the series because it demonstrates the very reason we believe so strongly in this campaign. We all play a role in children's lives and we can all play a role in preventing child abuse and neglect."
Prevent Child Abuse Florida's public awareness efforts are supported with funding from the Florida Department of Children and Families through the Community Based Child Abuse Prevention grant program and is included in Florida's statewide child abuse prevention plan. A recent study on the campaign's materials found that parents are increasing their knowledge on healthy child development and resources available in their community that assist with child and family needs. The study will be published in the Journal of Health Communications next year.
"Research tells us that when we work to strengthen families, we can successfully prevent abuse before it begins," said DCF Secretary George Sheldon. "Our focus is on family-centered practice, which recognizes and respects parents' love for their children and builds upon the strength and potential of families. Our goal is to support parents by providing various resources and allowing them to choose what is best for them."
The Spots were broadcast over ten thousand times from April through June of this year on network television and radio stations throughout the state. You can view the award-winning public service announcement here."
Chicago, Illinois, April 23, 2010 –Prevent Child Abuse America has announced that Jacksonville, Florida has been chosen as the first Pinwheel City USA. This Pinwheel City USA designation is intended to further advance Prevent Child Abuse America’s Pinwheels for Prevention national campaign which encourages policies and practices that promote healthy child development and child abuse and neglect prevention nationwide.It also recognizes that for our nation to think about child abuse and neglect prevention in a new way, communities and neighborhoods of all sizes across the nation must re-think how each adult can play a role in helping children have the best possible start in life.
“When we launched this effort, we wanted to identify cities that not only talk the talk when it comes to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, but also walk the walk,” said Jim Hmurovich, President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. “It quickly became clear to us that there was no better place to start than Jacksonville, Florida.”
Jacksonville was a relatively easy choice that was unanimously approved by the National Board of Directors of Prevent Child Abuse America. Jacksonville has a multi-disciplinary team focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect that has developed a community plan for prevention that will be implemented between July 1, 2010 and June 30, 2015. Jacksonville also has a strong partnership with the Florida chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America, Prevent Child Abuse Florida which is housed at the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, and implements Pinwheels for Prevention, Circle of Parents and Healthy Families Florida. In addition, Jacksonville was a partner in Prevent Child Abuse Florida’s development of the statewide safe sleep campaign.
“Jacksonville is the type of city in which most people would want to live. The community values children and sees the importance of preventing abuse and neglect from occurring in the first place,” continued Hmurovich.
“The Florida Department of Children and Families works with community partners in Jacksonville and across the state to prevent child abuse and neglect by helping families,” said George Sheldon, Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families. “DCF’s many local partners, including our community-based care agencies and others, are experts in connecting families with the resources they need. By acknowledging parents’ strengths and helping families overcome obstacles to healthy child development, we are building a strong foundation for future academic success, economic productivity and responsible citizenship.”
The Pinwheel City celebration will take place Saturday, April 24th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Hemming Plaza in downtown Jacksonville. Nearly a dozen non-profit agencies that provide prevention services to local children will participate and more than 200 families are expected to attend. The free family celebration will feature fun activities for children including face painting, bounce houses, clowns and more. The event is free and open to the public.
“The event was originally intended to officially commemorate child abuse prevention month, and we’re excited to have another reason to celebrate,” said Jim Adams, CEO of Family Support Services. “All of the agencies that are participating work tirelessly for our children every day. As we launch phase two of our foster care redesign initiative, we will continue to think of new ways to ensure that all local children, especially those who are most vulnerable, are given the best possible care.”
“We’re proud of this significant national recognition for Jacksonville,” said Nancy Dreicer, Northeast Region Director for the Florida Department of Children and Families. “It is well deserved, since our innovative Foster Care Redesign program has earned national acclaim for reducing the number of children in foster care by more than 62 percent in three and a half years. We’re providing more services to prevent future abuse and keep children safe in their own homes with their own families. This recognition is coming at an excellent time, as we launch Phase Two of our Foster Care Redesign in conjunction with our community-based care partner, Family Support Services of North Florida,” said Dreicer.
Mr. Hmurovich will be on hand and accepting the award on behalf of the city will be Jacksonville City Council Vice President Jack Webb.
“As the Florida chapter of PCA America, the Ounce of Prevention Fund is both honored and proud to be a part of this important occasion. I am impressed, but not the least bit surprised that my home town of Jacksonville will be the first to achieve this significant designation. This beautiful city on the St. Johns is often recognized for embracing innovation and prioritizing issues that impact residents’ quality of life,” said Douglas Sessions, Jr., President and CEO of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida.
