Network News

Information and on-line registration forms are now available for the National Leadership Meeting. Registration forms are due back to Parents Anonymous^{^®} Inc. by January 15, 2008.

The Parents Anonymous^® Inc.
Develops National Child Abuse Prevention Plan

We are pleased to be continuing a unique partnership with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to implement a new national child abuse prevention plan based on all levels of the ecological model through the BECAUSE Kids Count! Project (Building and Enhancing Community Alliances United for Safety and Empowerment). This approach addresses child maltreatment before it occurs at the individual, relationship, community and societal levels. Parents Anonymous^® Inc. and its Network organizations completed an extensive inventory of existing programs and an organizational assessment resulting in the creation of a comprehensive five-year national child maltreatment prevention plan, Keeping Our Promise. During the next two years, we will be moving forward with the implementation of selected strategies in the plan:

Improve capacity to implement, fund and sustain prevention programs and strategies
Implement innovative training and technical assistance relating to prevention theories, principles, concepts and practice
Adopt evidence-based practice
Expand Parents Anonymous programs and strategies nationwide
Create a National Center on Shared Leadership
Plan a National Parent Helpline
Plan and implement a national public awareness and prevention campaign

Under the direction of Dr. Sandra Williams, Vice President of Programs, Parents Anonymous^® Inc. established a Child Maltreatment Prevention Work Group comprised of 15 distinguished members with expertise and experience in child maltreatment, public health and research. The Work Group has been providing valuable input and recommendations relating to the planning and development of this project during face-to-face meetings and numerous teleconferences. During two face-to-face meetings, the Work Group hosted strategic planning sessions with the Parents Anonymous^® Network staff and Parent Leaders. We wish to acknowledge the strong commitment and hard work of the Child Maltreatment Work Group, our Parents Anonymous^® Network of organizations and local affiliates and our National Parent Leadership Team^® in helping to develop this important prevention plan to enhance our existing programs and services for families nationwide.

Parents Anonymous^® Inc. Identifies Need
for National Parent Helpline

Parents Anonymous^® Inc. has identified the need for a 24-hour, 7 days a week National Parent Helpline to fill a vital gap in services to parents. The Helpline will encourage parents to ask for help early so that immediate support can be provided, day or night, to address various stressors faced by parents nationwide. In order to gather input and recommendations on the design of the National Parent Helpline and ensure its responsiveness to the needs of parents of diverse economic, ethnic and social backgrounds, we have been seeking input and suggestions from parents and staff of the Parents Anonymous^® Network and also representatives of national family strengthening organizations over the past year.

We conducted two separate focus groups – one with Parents Anonymous^® Parent Leaders and one with Network organizations. We also conducted key informant interviews with 13 national organizations using a survey tool. The survey addressed areas such as: (1) Staffing Pattern; (2) Recruitment and Training of Helpline Advocates; (3) Methods of promotion including print and broadcast media; (4) Effective outreach strategies to parents in need; (5) Responding to diverse cultures and languages; (6) Databases for service resources and parenting resources; (7) Quality Assurance and (8) Referral Procedures and Follow up.

Furthermore, extensive interviewing was conducted with Parents Anonymous^® of New Jersey and Parents Anonymous^® of Maryland as these two Network organizations have been operating 24 hour, 7 day a week statewide Parent Helplines for over 25 years. Information relating to staffing, structure, call volume and tracking systems was gathered. They provided us with detailed reports, lessons learned and recommendations for further directions.

Overall, overwhelming support was expressed for the establishment of a National Parent Helpline and many expressed a strong interest in collaborating in this vital initiative. To ensure the successful implementation of a National Parent Helpline, we will continue to partner with many national, state and local organizations to seek funding to support the development of this vital national resource and help make people aware of the Helpline. Parents Anonymous^® Inc. wishes to express strong appreciation to the Parents Anonymous^® Network and Parent Leaders for their willingness to provide valuable input in this process.