Melissa Santos

Preventing Child Abuse introduces the evidence, theories, concepts, essential components, and practice issues for family-based prevention programs (FBPs) for families dealing with substance use problems. FBPs are interventions that involve the family in program practices which are trauma-informed, skills-oriented, and strengths-based, in an effort to prevent or minimize future problems. Guided by multiple theoretical perspectives, FBPs assume that improving parenting capacity, reducing harmful substance use, and improving family relationships will translate into a reduction of both violence in the home and neglect of children's needs. To demonstrate the foundations and outcomes of FBPs, the book provides examples from existing programs and an in-depth case study of the Celebrating Families! program developed and piloted by the authors to specifically address caregivers' substance use. Chapters provide a comprehensive treatment of child welfare outcomes research, adverse and compensatory factors that inform FBPs' practices, prominent theories for FBPs, cultural adaptation, and evaluation methods. The book concludes by recommending that funders and policymakers sustain programs showing promise of preliminary efficacy while they work toward implementing increasingly robust evaluation research studies.