Reporting is Not Prevention: Changing the Narrative around Child Safety

In this episode, Claire Louge discusses why effective child safety begins with cultural change. She explains how her organization is working to shift the narrative from reporting families to believing in and investing in families. Oftentimes, people confuse detecting child abuse and neglect with preventing it, when true prevention aims to stop it from happening at all. Claire is the Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Arizona, where they launched Lean on Me Arizona to promote supporting families as a way to keep children safe and out of foster care.

Claire also sheds light on how professionals and systems are falling short on forming authentic partnerships with those directly impacted when incorporating them into these conversations, and how white supremacy culture acts as a barrier to engagement. Learn from Claire how to ask the right questions to support families in keeping children safe, and how kindness and a culture of support are the ultimate forms of prevention.

Podcast Resources

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Lean On Me AZ – pcaaz.org/leanonmeaz

Considering Yourself a ‘Mandated Supporter’ – pcaaz.org/for-mandated-reporters

In addition to our site partners across the country, the following people and organizations have come together to show that it is possible to fundamentally rethink how America protects children and supports families.