Prevention
Office Strategies
With limited office time, creative and realistic options for addressing family abuse prevention can include:
- waiting room questionnaires
- awareness training for staff to be alert for patient and family red flags
- manager training re: staff personal domestic abuse issues
- chart prompts
- brief education, discussion, follow up at staff meetings
- posters/brochures/pocket cards available throughout office
- group parent classes
- newsletters
- easily accessible and restocked patient handouts and materials, such as:
- office website educational areas
- instructional videos
- having someone in the office (or social worker) have a working knowledge of community resources (respite care, parent support groups, home health services), parenting classes and counselors for referral
- defined office protocols about assessment, intervention, documentation, reporting, confidentiality, office security
Clinical Encounter Strategies
| During the office visit, model the behavior you would like the parent to use while interacting with the child. |
At each well child visit, provide "anticipatory guidance", to help parents understand
- developmental abilities and limits, so that they are not frustrated in what they expect the child to be able to do
- safety challenges, and methods to help protect against accidental injury
- behavioral challenges, with anticipated methods of handling discipline and limit setting
- anticipated behavioral and physical course for children with medical conditions
Screen parents for domestic abuse, and observe for depression, anxiety, feeling overwhelmed, drug or alcohol use, and general family stresses; particularly ask how these parents cope with childcare demands
- Educate parents about effects of family abuse on the child
- Emphasize the importance of consistent love, acceptance and attention
- Emphasize family strengths
- Provide detailed written care plan for medical conditions, to prevent inadvertent neglect
- Monitor children's development, behavior and school performance
- Educate parents of children with disabilities who encounter multiple caregivers about signs of abuse
For teens
- educate about healthy relationships
- monitor social development and communication with parents
- encourage teen to feel your office is a safe place to discuss difficult topics
- help teen identify extended family, friends and community social support
, Educate children
- about appropriate touching
- who they can talk to with concerns
- consider giving out Child Safety Rules
, courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
