CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION

Mission

The mission of the Child Abuse Prevention Program is to protect children from abuse and neglect in order to promote their healthy development.

Strategy

The program seeks to accomplish its mission by making grants that develop and infuse best prevention practices into normal, non-stigmatizing systems that routinely serve large numbers of families with young children (birth to age six), such as the early education and child care systems. The foundation supports prevention and early intervention efforts that educate, support, and/or assist families before an incident of abuse or neglect occurs.

Goals

The Child Abuse Prevention Program has three goals:

Build Repertoire of Prevention Strategies –
Increase the number of effective and innovative methods for preventing abuse and neglect.
Develop Capacity of Existing Systems –
Build professional capacity to improve and strengthen prevention efforts within existing service systems that see large numbers of young children and their families.
Develop and Disseminate Knowledge –
Support efforts to enhance the prevention field through the dissemination of research findings and information on best practices.

For information on the availability of grants for specific projects, visit the program’s Grantmaking Process & Funding Opportunities page.

Grants Awarded

As of December 31, 2010, the Child Abuse Prevention Program has approved 62 grants totaling approximately $57 million. View Grants Awarded.

Doris Duke and Child Abuse Prevention

Doris Duke took a special interest in the needs of children, supporting nearly 85 child welfare organizations during her life. Her support included contributions to orphanages, camps, mentor programs, little league teams, hospitals, and boys and girls clubs. In her will, Doris Duke expressed her interest in "the prevention of cruelty to children."

Grantees in the News

December 7, 2010
Miller-McCune magazine chronicles the development of the Center for the Study of Social Policy's Strengthening Families approach, which partners with early child care centers to prevent child abuse and neglect and was developed with DDCF support:

A Cure for Child Abuse

Prevention Resources

Doris Duke Fellowships for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, two-year fellowships for doctoral students administered by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Funded by DDCF.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Public Health Leadership Initiative on public health strategies for preventing child abuse and neglect. View Webinar for more info. Funded in part by DDCF.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway's resources on Preventing Child Abuse & Neglect, which feature the work of several DDCF grantees. The Strengthening Families and Communities: 2011 Resource Guide contains information about protective factors that help reduce the risk of child maltreatment.
The Fall 2009 edition of The Future of Children journal, which focuses on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. View Full Contents and Resources or Executive Summary. Funded in part by DDCF.
The Period of PURPLE Crying Program, which provides resources on infant crying. Funded in part by DDCF.
The RAND Corporation Promising Practices Network's Child Abuse and Neglect Resources and Tools, which include Child Abuse and Neglect: Reports from the Field and Ideas for the Future.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation