Use Multiple Communication Methods
The approach shown to be most effective for child abuse prevention and education campaigns is the multifaceted approach.
The multifaceted approach allows for the use of more than one communication method or strategy in your public awareness campaign, offering many opportunities for the audience to see/hear the campaign message. The multifaceted approach is believed to more effectively address actions that prevent child maltreatment and increase the use of existing resources, if information on accessing resources is provided in conjunction with the campaign that would be beneficial to the target audience.1
It is important to think about what you are saying in your campaign and how the message may be received across diverse communities. Involving parents in the initial development of the public awareness campaign can help to identify how well the message may resonate with different audiences. Additionally, reframing your child maltreatment awareness education campaign on actions the listener/viewer can take to prevent child abuse and neglect will be helpful as an unintended consequence of child abuse and neglect prevention campaigns may be an increase in calls to the state or county’s mandated reporting hotline. For example, remove the focus on reporting child abuse and neglect to make your public awareness campaign more effective in the prevention of child abuse and neglect as research suggests that parents may use a resource number (not a hotline number) to call for help and assistance following media messages paired with a support program for parents2.
So, what methods should you use in your campaign? Public engagement and community education campaigns use a range of methods to reframe the way people think and talk about child abuse and neglect and who is responsible for preventing it. Examples of these methods can include the following:
- communication channels (e.g., mass or social media),
- communication strategies (e.g., framing and messaging, positive social norms, or social marketing), and
- community-level efforts (e.g., town hall meetings, neighborhood screenings and discussions)3.
Moreover, effective frames highlight a problem and point the audience toward solutions4.
Let’s focus on the communication channels. Mass media may be good for short, persuasive messages that can be communicated well in 30 second ads, but if your message is more complicated such as contacting another agency for resources, screening for risk, vulnerability of the target audience, and action on the part of your audience, then consider other channels including social media such as YouTube commercials, newspaper ads, letters to the editor of newspaper, billboards, educational flyer/brochures, and celebrity advocacy rather than mass media.
Keep in mind that all of us are exposed to messages and ads throughout our day. In addition to the public awareness campaign itself, be sure to have talking points (for media inquiries), fact sheets, brochures, and training materials if applicable. Also, note that it is important to change how you present your message over time5. It is best to use a variety of strategies, messages, and media over time (multifaceted approach)– make sure the campaign is unique and novel. Take a long-term approach by highlighting different ideas over time. And think creatively such as partnering with the local shopping mall to post educational information or host child friendly events (e.g., coloring contests).
Let’s examine below two popular strategies in communicating messages: Storytelling and Positive Social Norms
Storytelling can be an effective form of communication as stories can demonstrate cause and effect relationships to increase awareness, illustrate patterns in important information to change attitudes, and display empathy to inspire action. But there is more to the strategy. For storytelling to help achieve your goals, the stories should communicate specific ideas and touch emotional chords that actually move people to support your position. Many organizations and movements miss the mark here. While a growing number have caught on to the emotional power of storytelling, many do not have a clear understanding or articulation of the essential ideas their stories need to convey to persuade their audiences and achieve durable attitude change1.
Like the overall public awareness campaign, it is best to start with who is the target audience for the narrative/story. Although there may be several audiences who will see/hear the story, the primary audience is the audience who can act on the information or use it to make a decision. Additionally, what are the goals for the story or what should the audience take away from the story?
In storytelling, it is important to think about the kind of story and language used. Remember letting people tell their story gives them a feeling of participation and involvement in their own lives. The different types of stories are compliance, improvement, loss, struggle, quest, tragedy, fantasy, etc. Is your audience interested in this type of story? Do you need to create context for listeners/readers to understand the story? What is the setting? What is the tone of the story? Is the language appropriate for the target audience? Check out the FRIENDS guide to storytelling for ideas and resources to craft a story.
Be sure to identify who is the character in the story. Who is driving the action or is there someone in the story with whom the audience can identify? What are the motivations of the characters? The plot includes the setting such as important circumstances or conditions and context of what the storyteller is trying to address or overcome. If using any visuals with the story, make sure they are appropriate and do not detract from the story.
Based on the story crafted, what is the best medium through which to share it? Video, written narrative, shorter animated visual, a combination, others? In determining communication fit with the targeted audience(s), what usability testing will you employ? An example of usability testing is the A/B testing method where you compare two versions of the story/campaign message to see which one more people pay attention to across multiple platforms (i.e., Facebook, other social media platforms)2.
Research by Topos Partnership cautions using individual stories as people tend to remember the story but forget or disregard the broader factors that the communication is trying to convey. Putting a face to a story can make it difficult to convey the broader, systemic factors resulting in the reader/viewer not appreciating the structural, policy interventions needed. Stories that focus on solutions – successful programs, effective interventions – can be powerful as they convey hope and belief in collective action. Once the big picture of broad, systemic factors is established, then it can be helpful to offer more than one individual story to support the idea with their experiences. We should not eliminate people from our communications, but it is a question of emphasis and timing in effective communication.
My Prevention Moment is FRIENDS’ virtual story collection opportunity for parent leaders, CBCAP State Lead Agency staff, and practitioners to craft and record a detailed, overarching, and go-to, personal story that effectively illustrates the role of prevention in your life, family, program, or community.
Note: A good story is easy to read or hear, introduces a problem, and shares how the problem was solved, highlighting the role of the person or organization in addressing the problem. We need context and a story, because evidence gives stories substance, but stories give evidence meaning.
Share vivid success stories that link cross-sector collaborations to the concrete benefits they deliver (action oriented). Illustrate how the field of child abuse and neglect prevention is transforming to meet families’ needs. Leverage allies and child welfare professionals working in or with other sectors as messengers. Frame collaboration as empowerment. Keep it positive!
1Doug Hattaway, “Aspirational Communication,” Stanford Social Innovation Review, Volume 18, #1, (Winter 2020): Stanford Social Innovation Review
2Fred Fridlinger, “Evaluating Communication Campaigns.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Matters Blog. (April 2018) https://blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2018/04/evaluating-campaigns/
There is a role of public awareness campaigns in shifting community or social norms and the ways that people think about child abuse and neglect by shifting away from individual responsibility to engaging the community and draws upon multiple solutions to promote safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children. Such a narrative can also normalize protective factors by enhancing connectedness and reducing the stigma around seeking help with parenting or for substance misuse, depression, or suicidal thoughts1.
As an example, the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services Prevention and Community Support Section created the Help for Georgia Parents campaign to engage all parents and encourage use of the 1-800-CHILDREN Helpline. The 1-800-CHILDREN helpline has trained and caring professionals standing by to support all Georgia parents and caregivers. The helpline is free, bilingual (English and Spanish), safe, and a source of information for specialized services and referrals. Since the launch of the campaign, the 1-800-CHILDREN helpline has been rebranded to Find Help Georgia (findhelpga.org) to connect families to a comprehensive directory of local resources. Help seekers can search by ZIP code or speak directly with a resource specialist by phone or online chat to locate resources near them. Georgia residents can still call the 1-800-CHILDREN hotline and it routes to Find Help Georgia.
Georgia’s Belonging for Hope Campaign builds off shared values and was highlighted in the July 2023 Peer Learning Call with Banyan Communications. Concrete support for every parent and caregiver is essential for the health and well-being of children. Supports include:
- Promoting positive help-seeking behaviors,
- Resources that are readily available and accessible, and
- Quality services.
Parents need formal systems of support to help children grow up healthy and happy. They also need to feel comfortable with help services. This campaign promotes asking for support when and where parents need it — and getting help to the top of their to do list.
1“Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences: Leveraging the Best Available Evidence.” Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019) https://cantasd.acf.hhs.gov/wp-content/uploads/preventingACES.pdf
1Mary Kathryn Poole, David W. Seale, & Catherine A. Taylor. “A systematic review of universal campaigns targeting child physical abuse.” Health Education Research, 29, #3 (2014): 388-432.
2Marie-Helene Gagne, Ariane Belanger-Gravel, Marie-Eve Clement, and Julie Poissant, “Recall and Understanding of a Communication Campaign Designed to Promote Positive Parenting and Prevent Child Maltreatment.” Preventive Medicine Reports, 12, (2018): 191-197.
3Beverly L. Fortson, Joanne Klevens, Melissa T. Merrick, Leah K. Gilbert, & Sandra P. Alexander, “Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: A Technical Package for Policy, Norm, and Programmatic Activities.” (Atlanta, GA: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016).
4Fortson, Klevens, Merrick, Gilbert, and Alexander, “Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect: A Technical Package for Policy, Norm, and Programmatic Activities.”
5“Public Awareness Campaigns,” Military REACH, a project of the Department of Defense USDA Partnership for Military Families. July 2015, accessed October 11, 2022 Detail Result – Military REACH Library (auburn.edu)