COVID-19 Resources

All families need help sometimes, and especially during times of a global pandemic and acute racial injustice.  It is our obligation to provide parents and other primary caregivers with the support they need, when they need it. Parents can parent better when they’re not overloaded with the financial, emotional and societal burdens that life can bring.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased many risk factors for child abuse and neglect (e.g., mental health challenges, economic uncertainty). These risk factors placed a great deal of stress on caregivers. Data from early in the pandemic showed steep decreases in reports to child welfare agencies for abuse and neglect. Some have argued that these decreases are attributable to teachers (i.e., mandatory reporters) not having in-person contact with children. However, there is currently no conclusive data to suggest whether child abuse and neglect increased or decreased during the pandemic.

Effectively preventing child abuse and neglect requires an interdisciplinary, multi-partner approach. Such collaborations are even more critical in times of widespread disruption in a society’s social and economic fabric. Helping families and caregivers navigate the complex physical health, mental health, and economic challenges brought about by COVID requires new alignments and commitments to strengthened prevention policies and practices going forward. Research demonstrates that concrete and economic supports such as paid family and medical leave and child tax credits can reduce child abuse and neglect.

Prevent Child Abuse America is hopeful that increased investment in these and other supports by the US government during COVID-19 helped to buffer the increased risk that families were facing. As we work to develop new roadmaps for child and family wellbeing, we hope to shift the paradigm from reactive child welfare systems to a proactive, holistic approach that supports all children and families before they reach a crisis.

Preventing childhood adversity is a community effort. It’s up to all of us to help ease the burdens on parents by lending a hand when needed and enacting legislation that addresses financial and societal problems. Please check out the resources below for more information on COVID-19, and how you can help support parents and caregivers.

These resources were compiled in partnership with the Doris Duke Fellowship for the Promotion of Child Well-Being.

Policy

● Aditi Srivastav Bussels: Commentary: COVID-19 Crisis Gives SC a Chance To Be Truly Resilient
● Meredith Matone: Protecting Children and Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic
● Catherine Kuhns: Protecting Children and Families during the COVID-19 Pandemic
● Catherine Kuhns: Child Care and Feeding Young Children during the Pandemic: Exploring the Role of the Child and Adult Care Feeding Program
● Megan Feely, Kerri Raissian, Lindsey Bullinger: Practical Steps to Prevent Child Neglect in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Research

● Barbara Chaiyachati: Clinical Research in the Age of COVID-19
● Leah Bartley: Principle-based Implementation Support during a Time of Crisis
● Catherine Kuhns: Stabilizing Children’s Lives—A Web of Stabilizing Supports

Parents & Caregivers

● Paul Lanier: Navigating the Unknown: Family Support Podcasts
● Megan Finno-Velasquez: COVID-19 Resources for Immigrant Families
● Alayna Schreir: Economic Impact Payment for COVID-19: The Basics
● Alaska: COVID-19: Plans for Families with Children
● Colorado: Kids & Yoga
● Delaware: Tips for Parents & Caregivers
● Idaho: The Mindful Parent: ACES in the Time of COVID
● Indiana: Safety at Home during a Pandemic
● Kansas: Kansas Resource Guide for Caregivers: Caring for Your Family During the COVID-19 Pandemic
● Kentucky: COVID-19 Parent & Caregiver Guide
● Massachusetts: Massachusetts Resource Guide for Parents and Other Caregivers
● Maryland: Tips for Parents
● North Carolina: COVID-19 Parent & Caregiver Guide
● North Carolina: Educators, Essential Workers & Volunteers: Help Keep Kids Safe
● New Hampshire: Parent & Caregiver Guide to COVID-19
● New Jersey: Prevention during COVID-19: New Jersey Parent & Caregiver Guide
● New York: COVID-19 Resource & Response
● Ohio: Resources for Parents & Caregivers
● Rhode Island: COVID-19—Virtual Mutual Aid & Support Meetings
● Rhode Island: Resources for Parents, Essential Workers & Kids
● Texas: A Helpful Guide for Families to Thrive during COVID-19
● Utah: COVID-19 Tips & Resources
● West Virgina: West Virginia Resource Guide for Caregivers

Programs/Professionals

● Lindsay Huffhines: Helping Young Children Cope with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
● Emily Bosk: Vulnerable Youth and the COVID-19 Pandemic
● Alayna Schreir: Virtual Case Management in Human Services
● Alayna Schreir: Facilitating Low-Income Families’ Use of Emergency Paid Family Leave: Considerations for Human Services Agencies in Supporting Workers and Their Employers
● Alaska: Prevention during a Crisis: Tips for Educators and Caregivers
● Alaska: Kids Need Schools to Continue Reporting Abuse during COVID-19 Crisis
● Alaska: Keeping Alaska’s Kids Safe: Child Maltreatment Prevention and Response during COVID-19
● Delaware: Kids Need Schools to Continue Reporting Abuse during COVID-19 Crisis
● Kentucky: Prevention during a Crisis–Tips for Educators
● Michigan: Educator’s Guide to Supporting the Social and Emotional Needs of Students
● North Carolina: COVID-19 Social Media Toolkit
● Nebraska: Childcare Providers: COVID-19 Information and Resources
● Virginia: Guidance for Teachers and Counselors during COVID-19
● Wisconsin: Creating Solutions for Mental and Behavioral Health

General Resources

● Office of Childcare Resources
● Health & Human Services (HHS) Resources
● Youth.gov: Resources to Support Youth and Families during the Coronavirus COVID-19 Outbreak
● Alabama COVID-19 Resources
● Arizona: Supporting Child and Family Well-being during COVID-19
● Colorado: Stay at Home Guide
● Connecticut: COVID-19 Resources
● Washington, DC: COVID-19 Resources
● Georgia: COVID-19 Resources
● Hawaii: COVID-19 Resources
● Iowa: COVID-19 Resources
● Maryland: COVID-19 Resources
● Michigan: COVID-19 Resources
● Missouri: COVID-19 Resources
● Nebraska: COVID-19 Resources
● New Jersey: COVID-19 Resources
● Nevada: COVID-19 Resources
● Nevada: Responding to COVID-19
● Oklahoma: COVID-19 Resources
● Oregon: COVID-19 Resources
● South Carolina: COVID-19 Resources
● Washington: COVID-19 Resources
● Wisconsin: COVID-19 Resources

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