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RED FLAGS and
GOLD STARS
Nancy Peck, Training Consultant
Healthy Families Florida
How Risk Factors and Protective
Factors Influence Child Abuse and
Neglect
Child Abuse and Neglect
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Child Abuse and Neglect in
Florida• 46,319 children were abused or neglected in Florida
last year.
• 127 children are abused or neglected in Florida
every day.
• Two children die every week in Florida from abuse
or neglect.
Source: FL Dept of Children and Families
Why Prevention?
Prevention Programs work. Healthy Families
Florida outcomes in 2013:
Outcome Goal Performance
Free from verified abuse
and neglect during services 95% 98%
Free from verified abuse
and neglect 12 months
after completing HFF95% 98%
Why Prevention?
Prevention is cost effective.
$1,900
$72,709
HFF Proven Prevention
Services
Child Welfare,
Hospitalization,
Special Ed,
DJJ,etc.
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The Cost of Child Maltreatment in the
United States, 2013
• Exceeds $80 billion annually. PCA America
• The lifetime cost for each victim of child
maltreatment is estimated at $210,012. CDC
Why Prevention?
Prevention has life long benefits.
• The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
Study.
• ACEs are adverse childhood experiences
that have been linked to later- life health
and well-being challenges.
The Truth About ACEs
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A child is more at risk for ACEs when the child’s
parents experience stressors such as:
• social isolation
• underemployment
• lack of health care
• depression
• limited access basic necessities
Mandated Reporting
Chapter 39 of the Florida Statutes states “Any person
who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a
child is abused, abandoned or neglected, by a parent,
legal custodian, caregiver or other person responsible for
the child’s welfare or that a child is in need of supervision
and care shall report such knowledge or suspicion to
DCF.”
Child Abuse Death Review
Committee• Established by statute in 1999.
• Conducts detailed reviews of verified reports of
CAN deaths.
• Recommends action for reducing CAN deaths.
• Identifies gaps, deficiencies or problems in
service delivery to children and families.
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Potential Risk Factors for Child Abuse
and Neglect
RED FLAGS
Multiple Children
in the Home Under Age Five
Unsafe Sleeping Conditions
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Other Adults Living or
Visiting in the Home
The BIG THREE
1. Domestic Violence
2. Substance Abuse
3. Mental Health
Children with Special Needs
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Children are Unavailable
Pools and Bodies of Water
GOLD STARS
Protective Factors that Reduce the
Risk of Child Abuse and Neglect
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Nurturing and Attachment
Knowledge of Parenting and
Youth Development
Parental Resilience
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Social Connections
Concrete Supports In
Times of Need
Social and Emotional
Competence
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“Children are the living messages we send to a
time we will not see….” Neil Postman
THANK YOU!
Healthy Families Florida Training Institute
Jim Ledbetter, Training Manager
(850)488-1752, ext. 126
www.healthyfamiliesfla.org
