Child Abuse Prevention Month 2008

Pinwheels for Prevention Sweep Across the State

Albany, NY—March 14, 2008—They’re popping up in front yards, at community events and in front of City Halls. They’re spinning in the winds of change blowing around the state and nation this April during Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month. They’re pinwheels and thousands of them have been distributed statewide by Prevent Child Abuse New York (PCANY) as a demonstration of the fast-growing belief that we can prevent—not just intervene in—child abuse and neglect.

The “Pinwheels for Prevention” movement is bringing the belief in prevention to life in a number of ways in communities around the state. The movement is based on the belief that we must do more than simply respond to cases of abuse through prosecution and intervention—we need to provide programs and policies that focus on the child development process, engage communities and create conditions that allow parents to be the kinds of parents they want to be. These programs and policies include strategies such as home visiting, parent education, mutual self-help support, mental health services and substance abuse treatment.

Throughout April, children's organizations from the far reaches of the state will be planting pinwheel gardens and spreading the message of prevention: Child Find of America in Ulster County, Healthy Families Niagara in Niagara Falls, the Child Abuse Prevention Program in Manhattan, and many, many more.

Prevention priorities have historically lagged behind abuse response measures such as intervention and prosecution, but the “winds of change” have clearly begun to blow. The Pinwheels for Prevention movement began in the wake of a study released in January by PCA America and the Pew Charitable Trusts. The study documents pervasive and long-lasting effects of child abuse and neglect on children, their families and society as a whole. The study calculated the total economic impact of child abuse and neglect at $103.8 billion for 2007 alone. 

“Overcoming the tremendous imbalance between what we invest on the front end to prevent abuse and neglect before it happens and what we spend as a consequence after it occurs is critical for our children, families and communities,” said Christine Deyss, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse New York. “Priorities such as intervention and prosecution are important elements in protecting our children, but it is clear that more and more Americans are taking a stand for the early and comprehensive prevention of abuse, not just responding to it after it occurs.”

The $103.8 billion cost of child abuse and neglect includes more than $33 billion in direct costs for foster care services, hospitalization, mental health treatment and law enforcement. Indirect costs of over $70 billion include loss of productivity, as well as expenditures related to chronic health problems, special education and criminal justice services.

Pinwheels for Prevention is the grassroots signature campaign for PCAA and its 43 chapters nationwide. The pinwheel has come to symbolize a person’s commitment to truly preventative measures, such as home visitation services, parent education and the overall re-prioritization of our policies, programs and resources to ensure that every child in the United States is provided with a healthy, safe and nurturing home and an involved, supportive and caring community.

Fore more information, contact Jennifer Matrazzo at 518-445-1273.

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