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Mission: To identify
and develop resources to promote the safety and well being of Florida's
children through actions and services to prevent child abuse and the
exposure of children to violence. Child abuse or child maltreatment is
generally defined as any willful act or threatened act that results in any
physical, mental, or sexual injury or harm that causes or is likely to cause
the childs physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly
impaired.
The Prevention Unit is responsible for
identifying, developing and coordinating opportunities for and strategies to
prevent child maltreatment. While other programs within the division provide
tertiary intervention and treatment services, the Prevention Unit is focused
on primary and secondary prevention activities.
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Primary Prevention - A program or
service directed at the population at large and designed to prevent child
maltreatment before it occurs.
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Secondary Prevention - A program or
service directed at populations or persons identified as at risk and
designed to prevent child maltreatment before it occurs.
These activities include the
development, acquisition, and distribution of prevention related materials
to various CMS and DOH programs, participation at health fairs and other
showcases, and participation on various intra- and inter-departmental
collaborative activities. Some of the prevention related materials can be
downloaded and used by individuals and programs to increase awareness of
child abuse prevention strategies.
April has been designated as Child
Abuse Prevention Month.
Each year the Department of Health collaborates with other agencies and
organizations to promote awareness of everyones responsibility to work to
prevention child abuse and the exposure of children to violence.
Information about plans and activities
for Child Abuse Prevention Month will be posted closer to April 2006. Check
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