Paid Family Leave Can Help Prevent Child Maltreatment

By: Danielle McCament, Chief Executive Officer, Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy

Centers

The Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers believes that child maltreatment is a societal issue, they are all our kids, and we must all work towards creating environments where they can thrive. In 2025 Ohio Children’s Advocacy Centers served 11,891 children; 25% of those children served were kids aged 0-5. 

We know that we cannot prevent all child maltreatment, and when it occurs Ohio’s children’s advocacy centers and our multidisciplinary team partners will always be available to serve the families and children. It is time that we implement upstream intervention policies in Ohio that will improve the state for families.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and there is no better time to highlight the impact paid family leave can have on preventing child maltreatment. A recent study published in the journal Child Maltreatment, entitled “More than Snuggles: The Effect of Paid Family Leave on Child Maltreatment,” found that paid family leave can reduce home removals by 46 percent, and reports of maltreatment by 14 percent for infants under age 1.

At first blush, it may be easy to dismiss the findings above as simply under reporting of child maltreatment when the child is at home, but that would not be an accurate interpretation. We know that paid family leave reduces the stress on caregivers through improving ability to provide for basic needs: food, healthcare, diapers, shelter. Paid family leave also allows for increased parental engagement and can improve parental and family mental health.

Thirteen states plus DC have passed state-level paid family leave legislation, and for the study explored in this article, researchers examined specifically New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New York. Researchers utilized data from the 4^th quarter of 2004 to the 1^st quarter of 2020, purposefully excluding any data that would have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The research was done over a time period that allowed examination before and after policy implementation. The conclusion of the research is clear that for our most vulnerable children under the age of 1, paid family leave can help keep them safe and strengthen the family unit.

Paid Family Leave is one policy solution that can help prevent child maltreatment, and it is certainly a solution that business leaders, legislators, advocates and everyday citizens should all work towards together, but there are also very important steps that we can all take in our daily life to help prevent child maltreatment as well. Specifically for our youngest children ages 0-5, it is important that safe adults are direct with them.

• Teach the children in your life it is ok to say no. Children should feel secure saying no regarding requests for hugs, kisses, etc. This is a way to help children practice setting body boundaries that will help them throughout development.

• Children should also learn to ask permission before touching others. Education can be done by modeling this behavior in home and around family and friends.

• Teach children the proper terms for body parts. Children should not feel shame when using proper terms for their body parts. Teaching proper terminology and allowing for open communication encourages children to communicate with a trusted adult without shame. Proper terminology can also prevent trusted adults or mandated reporters not understanding potential disclosures of abuse or maltreatment.

To learn more about Child Abuse Prevention month or child advocacy centers click here or follow the Ohio Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers (@OhioCACNetwork) on social media.