Child Abuse Prevention Starts Before Birth (From Perspectives on Child Maltreatment in the Mid '80s, P 58-61, 1984 - See NCJ-105544)

• NCJ Number: 105555
• Author(s): P Moulder
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 4 pages
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Reprinted from Southern Catholic, (Nov 1982)

Annotation

The Perinatal Support Services Project at the Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., educates medical personnel in the identification of mothers at risk of abusing their newborns and in the provision of services designed to prevent abuse.

Abstract

Medical personnel who participate in the 2-week workshop are taught to interview patients on issues pertinent to child abuse, such as stress related to finances, housing, and other factors as well as a previous history of maternal complications. Hospital social workers are trained to monitor patients through their deliveries until discharge. While in the hospital, opportunities for parent-child bonding are provided. A perinatal team maintains contact with parents during the patient's stay and counsels parents on any problems that may impact adjustment in the parent-child relationship. The hospital also makes followup phone calls to parents after discharge to inform parents about medical and support services for children and families. The perinatal team is particularly attentive to families which encounter crises during perinatal or delivery periods to help guide families through difficult times with minimal parental maladaptive behavior.