A Family Focus approach to child abuse prevention

Family Focus is a child abuse prevention program established to assist families in the task of raising their children from birth through 3 years. Its goal is to prevent child abuse by reducing isolation, improving emotional support systems and increasing parental knowledge of child behavior and effective child management skills. It strives to be viewed by the community as a positive family resource center with its services available to any interested parent, not just those identified as being at high risk for child abuse. Family Focus provides playgroups, parent education classes and other resources. The "Infant Program" was added to the program to provide outreach and follow-up services to parents and their high risk infants birth to 2 years.