Outline

Outline
Thesis: Prevention should be emphasized and preferred over intervention to end child abuse. (it’s weak, I know)
1. Prevention costs less than intervention
a. Total cost of intervention.
• foster/residential care
• incarceration of victims
• cost of institutionalizing/ rehabilitating perps
• legal costs
b. Proposed and current cost of preventative
c. Long Term cyclic increasing cost of intervention
d. Long term potential savings – prevention
2. Interventive Programs are relatively ineffective in preventing effects of child abuse
a. Future criminality & high risk behavior after abuse
• % abused adolescents and teens incarcerated or legally disciplined
• % of incarcerated adults abuse survivors
• high risk sex, drugs, careers, pregnancy, perps
b. Quality of life
• emancipated into homelessness/ extreme poverty
• homeowners/ income ownership
• % below poverty line
• depression & related illness
• health
c. Abuse continues within the social welfare system
• state fiscal motivation not to improve family condition
• deaths in state care
• educational/ social stigma and neglect
• association with high risk groups/ drugs/ behaviors
3. Preventative programs are effective.
a. Austrailia studies
b. Sexual abuse successful decline in the US
c. High risk groups can be targeted for additional assistance
d. Education linked to better parenting/ caretaking

4. Not quite sure yet
5. Conclusion- proposal
a. Increase focus from intervention in all but severe child abuse cases to familial preservation through increased support, education, and rehabilitation, and anger/ stress management
b. Increase preventative education through social skills/ anger & relationship management programs in all school levels
c. Increase funding for effective programs that educate parents and caretakers, offered at free or low cost for adults at local neighborhood locations.
d. Offer educative child development and parenting classes as part of prenatal care, including home visitation assistance for risk groups.
e. Increase community funded safe after school & child care programs, and emergency respite care
f. Apply pressure on leaders to promote family wellness requirements such as required paid maternity/ paternity leave, better crisis housing, substance abuse treatment, and low cost counseling for parents/ children/ families and community members