Creating Community Responsibility for Child Protection: Possibilities and Challenges

August 14, 2009 Deborah Daro and Kenneth Dodge observe that efforts to prevent child abuse have focused on directly improving the skills of parents who are at risk for maltreatment. But, as experts increasingly recognize that negative forces within a community can overwhelm even well-intentioned parents, attention is shifting toward creating environments that facilitate a parent's ability to do the right thing. The authors examine five community prevention efforts, summarizing for the theory of change and the empirical evidence concerning its efficacy. Each program aims to enhance community capacity by expanding formal and informal resources and establishing a . . .