IMG_7887Today, hundreds of Louisvillians gathered at the Big Four Bridge for the Rally to End Child Abuse, hosted by Face It partner, Family and Children’s Place. The event highlighted ways that we can all help to end child abuse. Parents, neighbors, friends, teachers, coaches, everyone – each of us is the face that ends child abuse. It reminded me of one year ago when the Face It® Movement officially launched on April 9, 2013. At that time, Face It was gaining momentum but was still unknown to many people in the community. Now, one short year later, the movement is gaining speed and spreading – fast!

The growth of Face It can be attributed to the work of partners in several areas. Everything from social media to policy and from training videos to data dashboards has impacted Face It. I’d like to take a second to celebrate some of the successes from the first year of this 10-year initiative to end child abuse.

Social Media Growth

-On April 13, 2013 Face It had 96 “likes” on Facebook. Today it has 743! Do you “Like” Face It?

Community Engagement

-Face It is working with schools, youth groups, doctors, child care providers, coaches, judges, parents, social workers…this list goes on and on! We all know that it will take the entire city of Louisville to help end child abuse and Face It plans to engage every sector. Interested in joining the Face It® Movement?

Policy Impact

-In the 2013 General Assembly, the Face It policy team led efforts to strengthen the Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel. The panel will help improve practices in the child welfare system to prevent future child abuse deaths.
-This year’s General Assembly saw another important win for Face It. HB 157 will ensure doctors are trained to recognize signs of pediatric abusive head trauma and know how to report it. This will make sure no doctor misses signs of child abuse.
-The publication of the Jefferson County Child Welfare Data Dashboard is an exciting step for Face It in their efforts to make it easier for the public to identify the extent of child abuse in Jefferson County. The dashboard brings important indicators to one location on the web and uses easy –to-understand language so you don’t need to be a data expert to know what the numbers mean. More Jefferson County residents that know the facts means more residents that can mobilize to help us to end child abuse by 2023.

Thanks to all the Face It partners and supporters who have made these successes, and many more, possible. I imagine that by this time next year, Face It will be even bigger and the list of positive impacts will be much longer.

Want to help the Face It® Movement grow? Join, like, follow and share today!