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Promoting safety, health, and well-being for children, families, and communities is complex, requiring comprehensive and collaborative approaches. Child abuse, neglect, and other forms of family violence are pervasive problems, often associated with substance abuse, depression, neighborhood violence, and poverty. The toll of these problems is enormous on children, their families, and the community. In 2001, The Ruth H. Young Center for Families and Children began as a partnership between the School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics’ Division of Child Protection and the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. It has now expanded to include collaborations with the Schools of Law and Nursing, the School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry – Division of Child and Adolescence, and the University of Maryland Medical System. The Center for Families develops “state of the art” interventions, provides valuable clinical and community-based services, helps bridge the gap between research and practice, and educates professionals to better address the problem of child maltreatment and other associated issues. The principles that guide the Center for Families are: - The safety, health, and well-being of children, families, and communities are influenced by a complex set of risk and protective factors. Therefore, no one strategy for prevention or intervention can be adequate.
- The prevention of child maltreatment and related problems, (e.g., substance abuse, juvenile delinquency, family violence), are important priorities for the Center, particularly with respect to implementing and evaluating promising community-based, family-strengthening programs designed to enhance the safety, health, and well-being of children and families.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration is critical for clinical services and research in this field. It is also valuable in teaching and advocacy.
- The Center values strong linkages with others involved in these issues within the University of Maryland, with public and private agencies, and with members of the local community.
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last modified on
July 11, 2005
Matt Conn
Director, Office of Communications |
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