Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect Through Successful Parenting
* Fairfax County is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities. To request reasonable accommodations or to receive this information in an alternate format, call 703-324-7720 or TTY 711.
Healthy Families Fairfax – A Model Program Designed to Help Families
In FY 2021, Healthy Families Fairfax served 465 children and 820 families living in Fairfax County who were at high risk for abuse and neglect. Since its inception in 1991, Healthy families has served over 5,000 families.
Healthy Families Fairfax works with parents from pregnancy until the child reaches age 3 and is enrolled in an early group education experience. This support includes:
- Home-based parenting education.
- Developmental screenings.
- Referrals to community support.
Healthy Families Fairfax is a unique public-private partnership that includes two government and two nonprofit partners:
- Fairfax County Department of Family Services.
- Fairfax County Health Department.
- Northern Virginia Family Service.
- United Community.
Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
- The long-term effects of child abuse and neglect can be serious and long-lasting.
- Studies reveal a powerful relationship between adverse emotional experiences in childhood and the physical and mental health of adults.*
- People who were abused or neglected as children were likely to have a four- to twelve-fold increased risk for alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempts. Additionally, there was a 200 to 400 percent increase in smoking, poor health and sexually transmitted diseases.*
*The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study was conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Kaiser Permanente. Learn more at the Center for Disease Control.
| Objective | Achieved in FY 2021 |
|---|---|
|
Effective, positive parenting |
100% of participants assessed showed an acceptable level of positive parenting. |
|
Health care to ensure healthy births and development during a child’s critical early years. |
97% of prenatal enrollees delivered babies with a healthy birth weight. 85% of the children received their immunizations as recommended. |
For more information, or to participate in a home visit, please call Healthy Families Fairfax at 703-324-7720.
Healthy Families Fairfax Brain Building Tips: Making Fun Hats
Make every day a celebration with this easy craft! Young children can help you decorate paper hats made from items you probably have at home. Check out this video for steps on how to create fun designs that will capture your child’s imagination.
Familias Saludables de Fairfax Consejos para el desarrollo del cerebro: Haciendo Sombreros de manera divertida
Haga de cada día una celebración con esta fácil manualidad! Niños pequeños pueden ayudar a decorar el sobrero de papel con materiales que puede encontrar en su casa. Observe los pasos de este video de como puede divertirse creando diseños y capturando la imaginación de sus hijos.