Our hope is that every family is thriving and protecting children

However, we all stumble across difficult times, and we need each other to help get us back on our feet. Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) is a community-based approach that strives to support families in order to keep children safe from abuse and neglect.

Our communities offer many valuable resources, but knowing where to find them and how to access them can be difficult.

What Is CPPC - Community Partnership for Protecting Children?

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) is a community-based approach to child protection. Partnerships work to prevent child abuse, neglect, and re-abuse, safely decrease the number of out-of-home placements and promote timely reunification when children are placed in foster care.
Community Partnership Protecting Children

Community Partnerships for Protecting Children (CPPC) is a community-based approach to strengthening families, keeping children safe, by protecting our kids, and creating community connections and collaborations.

Community Partnerships work to reduce negative childhood experiences, promote everyone’s responsibility in protecting our children, and build safety networks.

The long-term focus of Community Partnerships is to protect kids by changing the culture to improve child welfare processes, practices and policies. The Community Partnerships approach involves four key strategies which are implemented together to achieve desired results.

The Four Strategies of Community Partnership Protecting Children (CPPC)

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    Strategy 1: Shared Decision Making

    Provide leadership for collaborative efforts that promote community responsibility for the safety and well-being of children.

    Examples of activities:

    • Recruit broad and diverse membership to set direction and oversee efforts
    • Promote community responsibility for the safety and well-being of children
    • Identify and assess community strengths and gaps surrounding services and supports
    • Leverage existing resources to fill priority gaps
    • Measure, evaluate, and share accountability for outcomes
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    Strategy 2: Neighborhood/Community Networking

    Promote cooperation and form alliances to provide more accessible and relevant informal and professional supports, services and resources for families whose children are at risk of abuse and neglect.

    Examples of activities:

    • Collaborate with community members, service providers and other stakeholders
    • Increase awareness of available resources and information sharing
    • Organize and promote presentations, discussions, and community events
    • Facilitate multi-disciplinary trainings and peer learning
    • Implement programs to address diversity and disparity
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    Strategy 3: Individualized Course of Action

    (Family Team and Youth Transition Decision Making)

    Genuinely engage families and youth to identify strengths, resources, and supports to reduce barriers and help families succeed.

    Examples of activities:

    • Provide Community Based Family Team Decision Making Meetings
    • Educate and engage partners
    • Build capacity to offer community Family Team and Youth Transition Decision Meetings
    • Promote best practice
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    Strategy 4: Policy and Practice Change

    Improve policies and practices that reduce barriers and increase accessibility and relevance of service that lead to positive family outcomes.

    Examples of activities:

    • Utilize data to identify and assess needs for policy and practice change
    • Explore opportunities to implement best practices
    • Facilitate parent and youth input
    • Implement and evaluate community change

Questions and Information

  • If you suspect a child under the age of 18 is being abused or neglected please call:

    • The Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-362-2178 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).  Please be ready to provide identifying information and the whereabouts of the child. You may remain anonymous unless you are making a report as a mandatory reporter.
    • If you believe the child is in imminent danger, CALL 911 immediately

  • Meeting information and volunteer opportunities

    In Des Moines, Henry, Lee, Louisa Counties:
    Contact Arin Jones at arinj@iastate.edu

    Or find us on Facebook @quadcountycppc

  • More information about CPPC and Child ABuse Prevention in Iowa

    Go to: https://dhs.iowa.gov/child-welfare/CPPCfamilies and https://pcaiowa.org/