Chapin Hall

Child Abuse Prevention Brief Published

The Society for Research in Child Development released a new Child Evidence Brief by Chapin Hall’s Dr. Deb Daro.

Creating Tiered System of Support to Prevent Child Maltreatment is a two-page summary of an approach to child welfare that provides universal support to all parents while targeting more in-depth interventions to those who need them.

The brief describes several evidence-based programs. Family Connects, for example, provides a home visit by a nurse to all new parents following the birth of their infant. Using a common assessment, they link families to appropriate services, including intensive programs when warranted. A study of the program found that it decreased serious infant injuries or illnesses by 35%, and protective services investigations by 39%. Further, the program, which costs about $690 per family, estimates a 3-to-1 return on investment over a child’s first two years.

Daro is one of the nation’s leading experts in the area of child abuse prevention and early home visiting research. She has completed dozens of multisite evaluations over the past 40 years and has served on multiple national advisory boards and received numerous awards for her contribution to the field of child abuse prevention. Learn more about Chapin Hall’s considerable body of work on early home visiting.

Introduced in 2018, the Society for Research in Child Development’s  Child Evidence Briefs bring clear and succinct summaries of the scientific evidence regarding important national child and family policy issues. This Child Evidence Brief is of particular relevance right now, as Congress is preparing for reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA).