What Is Primary Prevention? (da http://wctf.state.wi.us/static/Default.htm)

Child abuse and neglect prevention strategies promote family health, build parenting skills, promote public awareness, and provide community support for parents.

The adage "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," reflects the importance and cost-effectiveness of prevention. Prevention avoids the "pay later" approach to problems, and it saves the costs of foster care, juvenile and adult corrections, public assistance, and other expensive outcomes of child abuse and neglect.

Primary prevention is characterized by the following:

• POSITIVE – not deficit – approaches that build on participants’ strengths.
• PROACTIVE – not reactive – approaches and efforts to prevent the occurrence of abuse or neglect.
• EDUCATIONAL – not clinically oriented – approaches, using methodologies that are teaching-oriented.
• DEVELOPMENTAL – not static – programs, with a focus on the development of people by promoting personal and social competencies, including problem-solving, self-awareness, communication, decision-making, self-control, stress management, and the use of social support networks.
• VARIETY – not just one service – of programs that offer participants a comprehensive range of services and options.
• VOLUNTARY – not required by a legal authority – programs, with participants voluntarily choosing from the variety of services.
• PARTICIPATORY –not focused on client relationship – programs that are culturally responsive and designed to encourage sharing and partnerships between participants in the programs and the "provider" of the services.
• UNIVERSALLY ACCESSIBLE – not designed only for members, selected individuals, or those who pay a fee – programs with broad admission criteria, aimed at large groups of the population and diverse participants.