A Public Health Approach to Prevention: What Will It Take?

Much of the fabric in today's society is at odds with planning a robust and generative public health response to child maltreatment prevention. A critical component of this problem is the absence of a public policy framework and related infrastructure that can create common ownership of the problem while recognizing the vast differences in individual willingness and capacity to alter their parenting behaviors. To address this challenge, it seems prudent to begin building a universal system of assessment and support that will touch all children and all families at multiple points in the developmental process. Such a system would not simply identify those at highest risk. Rather this system would be built on the premise that all parents have issues and concerns and differ only in the extent to which they have the capacity to address these issues. This commentary outlines the key elements of such a system and its benefits in strengthening both the impacts of interventions and the collective will to support all children.