April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness, strengthen communities, and highlight the work being done to protect children.
A child shares something that doesn’t feel right.
At a Children’s Advocacy Center, they are met with a team trained to listen, protect, and support—helping them begin the path toward safety and healing.
But for some children, the journey doesn’t end there. When it’s not safe to return home, they enter foster care where the need for safety, well-being, and permanency becomes just as critical as the initial response.
That’s where the broader network of care continues.
At Voce, we know that protecting children requires a continuum of care—from prevention and intervention to permanency. That’s why we’re proud to recognize partners like the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Pennsylvania (PennCAC), whose leadership advances prevention efforts across the Commonwealth.
PennCAC supports local Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs), where multidisciplinary teams, including child welfare professionals, law enforcement, medical providers, and advocates, respond to child abuse. This coordinated response is often the first step in a child’s journey toward safety and healing.
But their work doesn’t stop there.
PennCAC is equally focused on prevention, equipping communities with the tools and knowledge needed to protect children before harm occurs.
This year, that includes a strong emphasis on online safety, an increasingly urgent issue. In response to rising concerns about online exploitation and sextortion, PennCAC has launched a statewide campaign to help parents and caregivers better understand how to keep children safe in digital spaces. Through accessible resources like educational handouts and social media toolkits, CACs across Pennsylvania can tailor and share this information locally.
By addressing risks before they escalate, this work helps prevent harm and strengthens the safety of children who may later intersect with foster care systems.
Prevention also happens through education. PennCAC supports evidence-based programs like Safe Touches, Darkness to Light, and Smart Parents, which teach children about personal safety while empowering caregivers to recognize and respond to abuse. These programs help children understand boundaries and give them the language to speak up if something isn’t right. These programs also help adults respond appropriately when they do.
Earlier disclosures can mean earlier intervention and, in some cases, less prolonged trauma.
The impact is significant. Prevention education increases awareness, supports more informed reporting, leads to earlier disclosures and helps communities better understand what constitutes abuse. Still, challenges remain. Sustainable funding continues to be a barrier, underscoring the need for long-term investment to ensure these programs reach every community.
Child abuse prevention is a shared responsibility.
Together, organizations like PennCAC and Voce are part of a broader network of care, supporting children from the moment abuse is disclosed to the point where they can experience stability and belonging. For some children, that journey includes foster care. When children cannot safely return home, Voce is focused on ensuring they find permanent, loving families where healing can continue.
This Child Abuse Prevention Month, we are reminded that prevention is possible when communities are informed, engaged, and supported. By working together, we can create safer environments where every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Sincere thanks to Chris Kirchner, MSW, Executive Director of Penn CAC, for sharing her insights, knowledge and aspirations with Voce’s Chief Innovation Officer Jessica Castle for this article.
