80 likes | 337 Views
Dakota County, Minnesota Public Health Department Violence Prevention Programs. Jane Palumbo, Community Health Specialist email: jane.palumbo@co.dakota.mn.us ph: 651-554-6123. Goals: Primary Prevention: before a problem exists Best Practices Coordinated Efforts
E N D
Dakota County, Minnesota Public Health DepartmentViolence Prevention Programs Jane Palumbo, Community Health Specialist email: jane.palumbo@co.dakota.mn.us ph: 651-554-6123 • Goals: • Primary Prevention: before a problem exists • Best Practices • Coordinated Efforts • Build Citizen Capacity
Background: • Citizen Advisory Group Recommendation • Child Abuse Prevention Councils established • Minnesota Student Survey • Dakota Healthy Families As a Result, these groups were formed: • Violence Prevention Initiative • Child Abuse Prevention Council • Dakota Healthy Families Steering Team
Violence Prevention InitiativeFocus: Bullying Prevention • Distributed “respect” posters to all elementary schools • Conflict Resolution posters to police liaison officers • Research and shared best practice information • Collaborated with County Attorney who gave 27 talks on bullying prevention in the past year • Created web site • Created and distributed bullying puppet show script • Purchased or created and distributed bullying handouts for schools • Provided materials for SSP Restorative Justice support group • Wrote bullying articles for k-12 newsletters • Distributed anti-bullying materials at county fair • Organized bullying materials and speakers for coalition community event • Promoted use of Reaching Out Theater’s anti-bullying program • Materials distributed to community service officers • Monitored seed money projects related to violence • Offered 4 workshops on bullying for youth workers, schools and parents
Outcomes Outcomes of four workshops for youth workers, schools and parents: • 98% of parents reported increase in knowledge of how to deal effectively with oppositional and bullying behavior • 90% reported increase in skills to effectively deal with bullying and oppositional behaviors • 100% reported they plan to use methods learned at the presentation • 94% of school and youth workers reported that they can use the information presented in their work setting
Child Abuse Prevention Council • Collaboration with WIC • Materials available at WIC clinics and appointments • Magnets • Brochures on domestic violence • Are You Someone Who Cares booklets & resource cards • Video on parenting tips for the WIC waiting rooms/lobbies • Materials in all new client packets: Positive parenting bookmarks and ABC’s of Having Fun While Eating Out With Your Kids • WIC staff: Gave 15 staff “Kid Pins” and articles on how to talk to someone about child abuse Other: - Provided parenting bookmarks to all the libraries during April • Staffed an information booth at the annual Crisis Nursery Fun Run/Walk • Co-presented a workshop at the statewide Child Abuse Prevention Conference • Child abuse prevention “clothesline” display (with resource materials) at 21 locations including libraries, county government centers, shopping malls, resource fairs, community events, faith communities, extension service lobby, etc • Materials to Free Family Law Clinic, Chicano/Latino Resource Fair, hospitals, jail lobbies, city halls, police departments, local agencies
Dakota Healthy Families • Studies suggest that up to 40% of child maltreatment might be prevented through home visiting programs by nurses* • DHF is a voluntary long-term home visiting program offering support to new parents facing significant challenges in their parental roles. This support… • Is intensively and consistently offered prenatally through pre-school years • Promotes healthy parent-infant attachment • Builds on family capacities and strengths • Focus on education and participative problem-solving • Links parents to community resources *First Reports Evaluating the Effectiveness of Strategies for Preventing Violence: Early Childhood Home Visitation by the nonfederal Task Force on Visitation Programs
Outcomes • 81% of smokers in the program stopped smoking • 86% of DHF families had “no fails” in any of the 5 developmental areas of communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem-solving and personal-social. • 90% of the families achieved an acceptable home hazard safety score. • Five of the six indicators of parent-child interaction showed improvement. • The majority of parents improved on stress and isolation measures.
Resources Go to: www.co.dakota.mn.us Click on: Site Index Type in the Search Box: Bullying (then hit “Enter” or click “Go” button) Click on: Public Health-Health Promotion Areas of Focus --------------------------- Home Visiting Effectiveness: http://www.fightcrime.org/childabuse.php