About
PREVENT CHILD ABUSE ARIZONA
Mission
Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is dedicated to strengthening families and protecting children through collaboration, education, and advocacy.
Vision
All families in Arizona have what they need to nurture their children.
Prevent Child Abuse Arizona has been the state’s leading child maltreatment prevention organization for over 30 years.
Through programs, advocacy, and training, PCA Arizona implements strategies to keep children safe and support families in our communities.
Why is PCAAZ Needed?
More than 85,000 babies are born in Arizona annually. Over half of these newborns are at risk for abuse and neglect at birth because of factors including:
POVERTY
SOCIAL ISOLATION
LACK OF PARENTING SKILLS
Child abuse and neglect result in incalculable social, emotional and monetary costs that can last a lifetime and affect generations. It is vital to our future that children have safe, healthy childhoods so they can learn, thrive and contribute to society as they grow up and start their own families as adults.
Research tells us engaging new parents around the time of birth is the most effective and cost-efficient prevention strategy.
What Is Child Abuse Prevention?
The first step to changing anything is to talk about it. Conversations are critical to social change. Child maltreatment, however, isn’t something people like to talk about. It’s depressing. It makes people angry. It can seem like too big of a problem, or one that can’t be controlled or changed. It can happen within all socioeconomic levels, cultures and communities. There are thousands of Arizona children currently in the foster care system because of child abuse or neglect. The subject, understandably, can seem overwhelming.
But there’s good news: child maltreatment is largely preventable, and more importantly, there are proven ways to strengthen families so that all children can thrive. In other words:
Prevention of Child Maltreatment = Strengthening Families
When prevention is the focus, the conversation about child maltreatment becomes about strength, hope and solutions.
So let’s talk about it.