Partnership for Healthy Communities Training

Police officer sitting with two smiling kids

Partnerships for Healthy Communities (PHC) is a community-based child physical abuse prevention program targeted at first responders. The program serves to increase their knowledge on the subject and prevention strategies for future use in their community. In 2010, a team of professionals participated in the planning and development of this child abuse intervention and prevention training course for first responders —including physicians at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, child abuse prevention specialists, trauma nurses, and local law enforcement, fire and EMS professionals. The result is a multidisciplinary initiative to address the needs of vulnerable populations.

The experts at the Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children offer a general, 3-hour PHC training, and a 7-hour “Train the Trainer” course that allows other agencies to conduct a training for their staff or communities.

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In this article:

Who should take the Partnership for Healthy Communities Training?

The Partnership for Healthy Communities Training is designed for first responders, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, firefighters, 911 dispatch and more.

Parental stress is often a precursor for child physical abuse. Because first responders often interact with families during stressful situations, they are in unique positions to prevent abuse before it occurs. First responders are also well-positioned to respond to—and report—suspected child abuse and other family violence by assessing the home situation of a family, gathering pertinent information from immediate and extended family members living in a home or at the scene of an emergency, and caring for youth directly.

What are the differences between the different training offerings?

The general, 3-hour PHC training is designed to:

  • Educate participants on how to recognize signs of physical abuse.
  • Provide tips for distinguishing accidental injuries from intentional injuries, including accidental splash burns and intentional immersion burns.
  • Use case studies to prepare participants to adequately document their findings on scene regarding stories, injuries and environments.
  • Review mandated reporting requirements in Georgia, the responsibilities of a mandated reporter and how to make a report (including what questions may be asked of the reporter).
  • Focus on preventing child abuse and empowering emergency responders to realize the role they can play in prevention.

The 7-hour PHC “Train the Trainer” session is designed to equip new trainers with:

  • A review of the PHC training history, child abuse statistics, an extended version of the 3-hour curriculum (with teaching tips delivered throughout), and information on trainer responsibilities.
  • Group discussions and networking opportunities for participants to plan their next steps after becoming a trainer.
  • All the necessary materials needed to conduct a training, including a flash drive with the PowerPoint presentation, mobile toolkit, pre/post evaluations, marketing materials, etc.
  • Continued mentoring and resources from PHC program faculty members.

Why participate in the Partnership for Healthy Communities Training?

In addition to tools and strategies, course attendees and organizations that offer the course are provided with:

  • A statewide resource guide listing phone numbers and websites that help with emergencies, reporting suspicions of child abuse, health insurance, substance abuse, counseling services, homeless shelters and more.
  • Continuing Education Credits (CEUs)
    1. 3.0 or 7.0 EMS credits for paramedics and EMS personnel
    2. 3.0 or 7.0 POST credits for Law Enforcement
    3. 3.0 or 7.0 NCPD credit for nurses

Continuing Education

Physician Education Statement:
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is accredited by the Medical Association of Georgia to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Children's designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Nursing Education Statement:
This nursing continuing professional development activity is provided by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is an approved provider with distinction of nursing continuing professional development by the Georgia Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Contact hours: 1.5 (per individual activity/topic)

Disclosures
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta planning committee members and content experts have no relevant financial relationship to declare. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta did not receive commercial support for this continuing education activity.

Privacy Policy
In order to document your participation and provide continuing education credits, we need to collect private information, including your name and email address. Your information will not be shared or used for other purposes.

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