News Details

Healthy Families America Program to help reduce child abuse in Solano County

April 24, 2015

SOLANO COUNTY – April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month—a time to increase awareness about how to prevent child abuse and neglect in Solano County and across the nation.

Although the rate of substantiated child abuse cases in Solano County is lower than the state of California, it has remained flat in recent years. In Solano County, about 500 children were verified to be victims of child abuse in 2013, according to the University of California at Berkeley, Center for Social Services Research.

A study by the Kaiser Foundation and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that children are undermined by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as child abuse, neglect and parental stress. The study also shows that certain childhood experiences are major risk factors for serious health complications across the lifespan. Children who are abused are also more likely to repeat the cycle of violence when raising their children.

One initiative that aims to prevent child abuse is Healthy Families America (HFA). HFA is a proven, evidence-based home visiting program designed for families who are at-risk for adverse childhood experiences. The program pairs professionally-trained home visitors to work with families from pregnancy through the child's third year of life. HFA plays an important role in providing mothers with the tools to raise their children in loving and supportive environments.

More than 75,000 families are served by more than 600 HFA sites in 38 states and abroad. The program has been studied extensively through randomized controlled trials for more than 20 years, and is proven to be effective in reducing child maltreatment.

"All children deserve great childhoods," said Nancy Calvo, director of Maternal Child and Adolescent Health. “HFA gives children a better chance to do better academically, live productive lives and contribute more to society.”

Implemented in 2013, Solano HFA is currently awaiting accreditation to ensure fidelity to the program model. The Solano County HFA program provides services to more than 70 families yearly.

For more information about the program, visit www.healthyfamiliesamerica.org or contact Nazlin Huerta, Solano HFA Program Manager, at 707-784-8542 or [email protected]