Prevent Child Abuse Georgia

PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA, founded in 1972, is focused on changing the way our nation thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur. PCA works to ensure the healthy development of children nationwide while recognizing that child development is a building block for community development and economic development.

Based in Chicago, Prevent Child Abuse America has chapters in 48 states and is the only organization in the United States whose sole mission is “to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children.”

Georgia State University’s Center for Healthy Development, directed by Dr. John R. Lutzker, will house PCA Georgia, a provisional state chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America. The new Prevent Child Abuse Georgia, directed by Julia Neighbors, is partially supported by a grant from the Governor’s Office for Children and Families. We are in the planning stages of developing the chapter.

It takes many people, organizations, and disciplines working together to make a difference. Prevent Child Abuse Georgia will bring together representatives from various child advocacy and service organizations throughout the state through our strategic planning process and development of an Advisory Board.

PCA Georgia will provide statewide direction to promote healthy children and develop strong families through:

• Prevention Network - Building a statewide network of individuals, families, agencies, and communities dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect in all its forms.
• Public Awareness - Increasing public awareness about child abuse and neglect prevention through training and education, information dissemination, and statewide events.
• Prevention Programs – Encouraging the development and implementation of innovative prevention programs using research-based models.
• Research - Conducting and disseminating academic and community-based research to guide the development of policies, programs and services which will enhance the health and well-being of Georgia’s children and their families.
• Advocacy Activities - Informing public policy, programs, and practices that strengthen families and protect children by regularly imparting information regarding child abuse prevention research, initiatives, legislation, and campaigns.

Please join us in our efforts to protect Georgia’s children. Anything you do to support kids and parents can help reduce the stress that often leads to abuse and neglect.

This project is supported in part by the Governor’s Office for Children and Families through Community Based Child Abuse Prevention Grant Program (CBCAP). Points of view or opinions stated in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the Governor’s Office for Children and Families or the CBCAP.