The Surgeon General's Workshop was a live Web cast; The Web cast is archived at http://videocast.nih.gov, under Past Events/Conferences.

Workshop Abstract

No threat can be more devastating than child maltreatment - violence, abuse, and neglect perpetrated by one human being upon another. In 2002, almost 900,000 children were determined to be victims of maltreatment, often perpetrated by their parents or caregivers. Securing a bright future requires both a safe environment and the physical, social and emotional well-being of the child. Building on the sizeable body of work directed toward protecting children from abuse, and developing effective strategies for preventing child mal-treatment and promoting child well-treatment is key.

The Surgeon General's Workshop explored two key issues:

1. Defining the public health approach to preventing child maltreatment
   • Child health and development, and public health systems integration
   • Parent, family, community, and society influences shaping development
   • Formative and operational systems change
2. Achieving the public health approach to preventing child maltreatment
   • Parenting and family innovations and opportunities for prevention
   • Community and society innovations and opportunities for prevention
   • Critical thinking for a new national public health priority

The Workshop was structured to focus on discovery: what is needed, what is working, what is not, what are the opportunities. The agenda was organized to promote active discussion among all of the invited participants representing medicine, public health, interchange development, social services, child welfare, academia, education, law enforcement, the faith-based community, juvenile justice, foundations, communications, mental health, and government. Workshop proceedings will be published and will become an important component for considering a public health approach addressing the prevention of child maltreatment.

For more information about the Surgeon General's Workshop, please contact Dr. Woodie Kessel at wkessel@osophs.dhhs.gov or 240-453-8280.

Workshop at-a-Glance

Surgeon General's Workshop
Making Prevention of Child Maltreatment A National Priority:
Implementing Innovations of a Public Health Approach

Lister Hill Center, National Institutes of Health campus
March 30 and 31, 2005
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Last revised: January 5, 2007