Understanding that there is no “one size fits all” approach for supporting all Texas communities, this toolkit is intended to offer a range of resources to support a collaborative approach to developing strategies that align the prevention of child maltreatment and the promotion of positive outcomes for Texas children, youth, and families.
What the toolkit has to offer/what you will find
In this toolkit you will find tools that provide a foundational framework for prevention efforts, resources describing elements of a community-based approach, supports to help you answer the question “What can I do?”, and our community maltreatment risk maps and other community level data.
Who is it for/how to connect with the target audience
This toolkit is designed to offer support to any community member (whether an individual, an organization, or an existing coalition) searching for ways to promote protective factors in children, youth, and families and reduce the occurrence of costly downstream intervention.
If you are a parent looking for articles, tips, and tools to support you along your parenting journey make sure to visit GetParentingTips.com.
How the toolkit is organized
This toolkit is intended to be a one-stop location for resources and tools to support communities in various stages of developing a prevention strategy. From starting to think about how to promote stronger families in Texas communities to reinvigorating a community coalition. We will continue to build out this toolkit so make sure to check back!
Prevention Framework: PEI's strategies are rooted in the understanding that families have primary responsibility for creating a safe and nurturing environment for their children, and that almost all families want to do what is best for their children but often need some form of support to make it happen. The Prevention Framework is PEI’s vision for how the supports of strong communities intertwine and wrap around a family to promote their success.
Tools and Resources: Existing tools and resources that are usable and accessible for diverse communities and community partners in addressing a continuum of specific needs, deploying an upstream prevention strategy, and successfully meeting a family where they are in their parenting journey.
Maps and Data: Existing publicly available data that communities can utilize in developing an upstream, data driven, community-level prevention strategy.
One way to think about meeting a family where they are with a range of supports unique to their needs is to consider a river analogy: Prevention and early intervention services start upstream, before anyone even approaches the river. There are opportunities to provide services at many points in a family’s journey. One might be after an intake to the child welfare system, or downstream, where prevention services may be more productive than an intrusive intervention. Or prevention services may be the very thing that a family needs to avoid involvement or re-involvement with the system altogether. What is constant about this approach is that families view providers in their communities as positive sources of services and support, no matter where they find themselves on their journey.
