Key partners share insights on prevention work and how communities can engage
Every child deserves a life filled with hope and love. During April — National Child Abuse Prevention Month — we are reminded that building the conditions that allow children to flourish requires the efforts of a committed community. The Ford Family Foundation is fortunate to support a strong network of organizations devoted to identifying and promoting the protective factors that build safe, nurturing environments. We asked a few of these partners to speak to the state of the child abuse prevention movement today.
Mary Ratliff leads Protect Our Children, a statewide network of resources and education with the mission of mobilizing communities to prevent child sexual abuse.
Nicole Cunningham serves as Executive Director for Prevent Child Abuse Oregon (PCAO), a statewide nonprofit focused entirely on supporting child and family well-being and preventing abuse.
Jeff Todahl is the Director of the Center for Childhood Safety and Wellbeing at the University of Oregon, which collaborates with Oregon communities, youth, families and traditionally excluded persons to prevent violence and promote healing, belonging and child and youth well-being.
How do you define child abuse prevention and all that it encompasses?
Mary: Child abuse prevention (and child sexual abuse particular) is something much bigger than teaching children to say no to strangers. Real prevention is about building the conditions into families, schools, communities and systems so that abuse is far less likely to happen in the first place, and so children who are harmed are far more likely to get help quickly.
Nicole: Prevention is hope in action. It’s the reminder that Oregon’s kids and families are worthy of investment in their health, their well-being and seeing their dreams realized. We like to say, “Prevention happens in partnership.” By finding and playing our roles in these ecosystems of prevention, we create more space to lean into authenticity and the future we’re building together.
Jeff: Prevention asks us to do a difficult thing: to turn toward painful realities, holding our attention there long enough to deeply understand the lived experiences of children, youth and survivors. In so doing, we sharpen our prevention efforts, ensuring they are responsive to actual local needs. In this way, children, youth and survivors are not simply informing the work — they are driving it.
Are there any myths surrounding this work that you’d like to debunk?
Mary: The biggest myth I encounter is that abuse happens in “other” families or that it’s tied to poverty, dysfunction or strangers. Child sexual abuse affects all communities, regardless of zip code, income, race or religion. Most child sexual abuse is committed by someone the child already knows and trusts. The “stranger danger” framing works against us because it keeps families and communities from having the honest conversations that genuinely protect kids. Another myth worth naming: Talking about abuse causes harm. The evidence points in exactly the opposite direction. When children and the adults in their lives have shared language, permission and trusted relationships, children are more protected and more likely to speak up if something isn’t right. Silence isn’t safety. Knowledge is.
Nicole: It’s the idea that each of us should be responsible for holding up individual pillars of child and family well-being in our individual silos. Oregon has an array of child- and family-serving resources and supports, many of which are cutting edge. I think we are stronger together, and we have all of the right pieces to create a really robust and sustainable prevention infrastructure.
Jeff: The myth that child abuse is too complicated to prevent or meaningfully reduce. Child abuse is complex, certainly, but we have everything we need in our communities right now to significantly reduce its occurrence. Simply shifting how we approach conversations about harm, consent and health are key to prevention.
46% of youth reported experiencing sexual abuse and of those, a full 62% had not shared this with anyone
What opportunities do you see right now for advancing child abuse prevention?
Mary: We are at a genuinely meaningful inflection point. There is more public will around child safety than I’ve seen in a long time, and a growing appetite for upstream, prevention-focused investment — not just responding to harm after it occurs but stopping it before it happens. That shift is real, and it matters.
Nicole: In this moment, the prevention movement desperately needs infrastructure builders who can help connect, collaborate and create cohesion across the different prevention initiatives that exist. This is a moment for us to take stock of what is changing and being reshaped, and to think creatively about how we collectively want to meet the needs at this time and create a foundation that is stable and scalable for the future we’re working towards together.
Jeff: We need to shift the “signals” that youth receive. Our Oregon Child Abuse Prevalence Feasibility Study found that 46% of youth reported experiencing sexual abuse and of those, a full 62% had not shared this with anyone. We’ve asked several thousand youth about this — why not disclose? They tell us they receive the following message (signal) from adults: Child sexual abuse, dating violence, etc., are unspeakable. If it happens to you, we (adults) may not notice. If you tell, we may not believe you, know what to do, or help in time. You are largely on your own. That puts the advantage almost entirely with the would-be harmer. Child abuse prevention is about shifting this advantage.
What do you think would spark significant progress for prevention efforts?
Mary: A few things would genuinely accelerate this movement. First, sustained, flexible funding for prevention infrastructure, not just crisis response. Our Promotive Action Plan is clear that preventing child sexual abuse requires public-private partnership and long-term investment. Second, policy that puts youth and survivors at the center. Young people shaped this plan. They deserve to shape the policies that follow from it. Third, a shared messaging infrastructure that communities can use. A coordinated statewide campaign grounded in trauma-informed, non-shaming communication would help communities across Oregon speak with a unified, affirming voice.
Nicole: Ultimately, creating a prevention ecosystem means leaning into the connective tissue … not just to ensure services and supports are available for kids and families, but to ensure we’re also taking care of the people doing the work. We’re thinking about what’s needed to sustain the human investment that’s already been poured into Oregon’s incredible prevention landscape.
Jeff: When trustworthy adults are commonplace, when conversations about harm and consent are normalized, when responses are predictable and helpful, and when children and youth feel protected rather than punished for speaking up, prevention and safety become an achievable goal. A prevention (promotive) message, urged by discussions with our youth, would be: Your safety and well-being are our highest priority. We want to know what is going on for you. If something feels uncomfortable or not OK, you can talk to us. We will listen, take you seriously and act with care. You are never alone — we’ve got you.
Where can people find more resources?
Protect Our Children
protectourchildren.org
info@protectourchildren.org
Highlights: The Promotive Action Plan Executive Summary gives an overview of this initiative, developed with Our Children Oregon and the Center for Childhood Safety and Wellbeing. The practical guide was built with and for communities and includes direct contributions from youth and survivors. The Protect Our Children evaluation report details the overall impact of the first seven years of this initiative of The Ford Family Foundation. It also points to specific actions that are making a difference in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California.
Prevent Child Abuse Oregon
preventchildabuseoregon.org
info@preventchildabuseoregon.org
Highlights: The Child Abuse Prevention Collaborative is a statewide space that connects preventionists across disciplines to learn together, create relationships, support each other, and create space for play, joy and laughter.
Center for Childhood Safety and Wellbeing at the University of Oregon
csaw.uoregon.edu
csawadmin@uoregon.edu
Highlights: The Promotive Action Plan, a community-driven approach to preventing child sexual abuse, identifies specific actions adults can take to support children and youth. Mapping Assets for Prevention Oregon is a collaborative initiative by the center and Prevent Child Abuse Oregon and Our Children Oregon. This project is an intentional step toward creating additional clarity and information around the prevention landscape in Oregon.