Positive Parenting Tips

Child Abuse Prevention Tips

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC's Child Advocacy Center offers parents these tips for
preventing child abuse:

• Monitor your stress level. Find out where your frustrations lie and address them in some way. If you feel you are losing patience, call the Warmline at 800-641-4546. Family Resources, a non-profit organization that seeks to prevent child abuse by supporting families, offers the Warmline free of charge to parents who need to talk with someone about their frustrations.
• Be cautious of new people you bring into the lives of your children – for example, babysitters or significant others – and understand how they will be caring for and treating your child.
• Evaluate your use of substances such as alcohol. Understand how these substances change your decision-making ability or your personality. Do you yell? Do you hit? Does it change you in some other way?
• Closely supervise your children while they are on the Internet. Even if you have parental controls set on your computer, many pornography sites still are accessible, and teens and pre-teens can easily access the sites’ chat rooms where they can meet people who may harm them.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Child Abuse Hotline at 800-932-0313. In an emergency situation, call your local police department or 9-1-1.