CICC's Confident Parenting Program Helps Prevent Child Abuse

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month as wellused to prevent child abuse, it has also been used
as the National Month of the Young Child. Both serveextensively in regular and special education settings,
to focus public attention on the needs of children andHead Start agencies, private practices and in
their families, particularly the need for qualitychurches and temples. Its value-free application of
parenting education.child management skills has allowed for its successful
Lack of parenting skills and the frustration thatuse with a wide variety of ethnic minority groups.
comes from not knowing how to deal with andThe program is usually conducted for small groups of
manage a child's behavior significantly increases theparents in ten two-hour sessions. Its specific skills,
risk of child abuse. Parents often feel controlled bysuch as effective praising, can be the focus of
their children's misbehaviors because they do notone-session parent meetings. There is also a one-day
know how to set limits effectively. They may pay soseminar version available.
much attention when their children misbehave thatResearch studies demonstrate that CICC's Confident
they forget to notice the cooperative and peacefulParenting Program reduces the need for additional
times.family or child services, significantly diminishes a
The Center for the Improvement of Child Caring'svariety of child behavior problems, improves overall
Confident Parenting Program teaches parents how tofamily relations and provides useful alternatives to
pay attention to and how to increase the timescorporal punishment.
when their children's behavior is good. It also teachesThus, it can provide a community with an
effective limit-setting skills so that parents will notintervention to promote child mental health and
feel victimized by their children's misbehavior.prevent child abuse and school failure. By so doing,
The program provides parents effective skills tothe program also aids in preventing drug abuse,
manage such child behaviors as:delinquency and gang involvement.
1. DisruptivenessParents and others can learn about and use the
2. Fearsprogram's parenting skills and strategies by purchasing
3. Shynessthe parent handbook which is available on the CICC
4. TantrumsWebsite (
5. BedwettingCICC can arrange to have a professional instructor
6. Restlessnesscome to a community, school or business and deliver
7. Disobediencea one-day parenting seminar, on the program. (
8. LazinessIndividuals can also enroll in an Instructor Training
9. AggressivenessWorkshop, where they can become a certified
The Confident Parenting Program has been used forparenting instructor and conduct the program
over two decades within community mental healththemselves. (
agencies, and it was selected to represent the socialParenting educators or group leaders can also
learning or behavioral approach to parent training aspurchase and use the materials in the workshop to
part of the continuing education program sponsoredrun the program on their own. (
by the National Institute of Mental Health.A detailed description of the Confident Parenting
Recently the program was updated and three newProgram's content, history and evaluation research
sections have been added. These include Corporalstudies is available on the CICC Web site. (
Punishment, Modeling and Family Rules.For more information about CICC's Confident
The Confident Parenting Program's versatility andParenting Program e-mail or call toll-free 1(800)
utility is reflected in the fact that in addition to being325-CICC (2422).