You have a leadership role in preventing child abuse and neglect. This lesson will review the definitions of child abuse and neglect. Then you will learn about ways to strengthen families and your staff to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Understanding child development is a protective factor against child abuse and neglect. In this lesson, you will learn about helping staff members understand typical development. You will also learn about helping staff maintain developmentally appropriate expectations for the behavior of children from birth to 12 years old.

Social and emotional competence of children is a protective factor in preventing child abuse and neglect. You can help staff members build their professional knowledge around social and emotional competence. In this lesson, you will learn strategies for helping staff members promote children’s social skills and emotional competence.

All professionals who work with children experience challenging behavior at one time or another. It is important to be prepared to help staff members respond positively and appropriately. This lesson will introduce you to positive guidance techniques. It will also help you recognize behaviors that are never acceptable amongst staff in your workplace.

Your program is committed to protecting children from harm. In this lesson, you will learn about the features of your facility that promote safety. You will also learn about your role in enforcing the policies and procedures that prevent child abuse and neglect in the center.

For staff to protect children from harm, they must be mentally and emotionally healthy. Your support plays a role in helping staff members be their best. In this lesson, you will learn about reflective supervision as a tool to help staff members deal with stressful situations. You will also learn to observe staff members for signs of stress and learn how to take action to support staff.