River Bridge Child Abuse Prevention Education Assessment

Project Description

Child abuse is a pervasive and serious issue with long-lasting consequences that reach far beyond childhood, often resulting in significant mental health challenges, substance use, and repeat victimization later in life. Preventing abuse requires a coordinated, community-based approach that promotes awareness, builds resilience, and strengthens protective factors.

River Bridge Regional Center (River Bridge), serving Garfield County and its surrounding communities in Colorado, plays a crucial role in addressing this issue by providing collaborative, child-centered services to victims and their non-offending family members. In partnership with a multidisciplinary team (including law enforcement, child protection, prosecutors, and medical and mental health professionals) River Bridge supports a path to healing that prioritizes the child's well-being. To enhance its education offerings and meet the National Children’s Alliance standards for child abuse prevention, River Bridge partnered with Omni to conduct a comprehensive Strengths and Needs Assessment.

To understand currently available resources and gaps in prevention education, Omni conducted a Landscape Analysis by collecting publicly-available data related to child abuse occurrence within Garfield County and undertaking a sweeping online assessment of educational resources available locally, regionally, statewide, and at the national level.

Omni then facilitated an initial kickoff meeting in late 2024 with River Bridge’s vested partner group, which brought together representatives from a wide range of partners including publich ealth, education, emergency response, medical/behavioral health, community outreach/services, and more. Initial results of the landscape analysis were presented, followed by an in-depth discussion around opportunities for participation in upcoming data collection efforts that would support River Bridge’s child abuse prevention education plan and the community overall. The kickoff meeting led to the finalization of the research questions answered within the Child Abuse Prevention Education Strengths and Needs Assessment report.

In early 2025, Omni and River Bridge partnered to conduct a multi-method data collection that included a wide range of providers who serve as a part of Garfield County’s child abuse system of care. Additionally, key informant interviews were conducted with representatives who are closely involved in serving Garfield County’s children and families.

During this time period Omni also administered a survey exploring a range of topics regarding strengths, barriers, and areas for improvement in Garfield County’s current child abuse prevention education offerings as well as perceived educational needs within organizations and the community.

Lastly, Omni conducted key informant interviews with individuals who serve children and families in Garfield County. Participants represented local county partner agencies, schools, and non-profit partner agencies. Similar to the survey, participants were asked about their experiences with child abuse prevention education in Garfield County, as well as the strengths, gaps, and barriers to implementing child abuse prevention education within the county.