What would it take to prevent child abuse before it occurs?
That question is at the center of A Human-Centered Research Design Approach to Child Abuse Prevention, new research from Child Advocates of Fort Bend by Ruthanne Mefford and Sue Profilet, PhD.
The research was conducted as part of a Human-Centered Design Initiative funded by The George Foundation, with additional support from The Henderson-Wessendorff Foundation. Rather than beginning with programs or predetermined solutions, the research centered the experiences of people closest to the issue. Researchers interviewed 72 stakeholders with direct or indirect experience with child abuse and neglect, including survivors, parents and foster parents, educators, medical providers, child welfare professionals and teenagers.
The goal was distinctly local: to better understand the factors contributing to child abuse and neglect in Fort Bend County and identify opportunities for earlier intervention and prevention.
Three themes emerged repeatedly from the research: survivors often tried to tell someone but hesitated or were not heard; parents and caregivers frequently did not believe abuse could happen to their children; and gaps in information and systems can create barriers to early risk assessment and intervention.
Perhaps most importantly, the research asks the community to think differently about child abuse prevention. Instead of focusing exclusively on responding after abuse has occurred, the authors propose viewing child abuse through a public-health lens—moving further “upstream” toward primary prevention, while continuing to strengthen detection, intervention, and response.
For The George Foundation, research like this is valuable not simply because it identifies a problem, but because it can help organizations, funders, and community partners better understand where systems can change.
We are pleased to share this work as part of our growing collection of community research and learning produced by our grantee partners.
Read the full white paper: A Human-Centered Research Design Approach to Child Abuse Prevention.
