About Us

 

How Do we get to 90 by ’30?

Our Mission

90by30 is a community-campus partnership dedicated to reducing child abuse in Lane County 90 percent by 2030.

We are community-led but county-wide, working to implement local strategies that fit the unique needs of each region or city. Our goal is to make all our communities safe, healthy, and nurturing places for families and children by engaging our neighbors, focusing on primary prevention that stops child abuse before it even starts, and finding a role for everyone in supporting parents.

We believe – and research shows – that primary prevention is like a vaccine: it protects communities against abuse and neglect by addressing the root causes of the problem, moving upstream from fixing the damage caused by abuse to creating environments that prevent it from happening in the first place. We believe that a connected community that cares about its children and families is the best vaccine against child abuse.

A recent survey by the Center for the Study of Abuse and Neglect of Lane County residents showed that 98 percent believe it’s the responsibility of ALL adults to prevent child abuse. But there is confusion over how to do it – 44 percent of those residents weren’t sure exactly what the community could do to reduce abuse and neglect.

That’s where 90by30 comes in.

We want to give each community in Lane County the ability to do something. Each of our seven local Regional Leadership Teams is composed of 20-25 community members: parents, retirees, faith community members, teachers, and others passionate about protecting children. The teams have drawn on feedback from neighbors and research on effective strategies from around the world to select strategies suited to Eugene, Oakridge, Florence – wherever they call home.

With five adults for every one child in the county, we know we have the capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect – we just have to work together to do it.

History

90by30 grew out of a 2011 University of Oregon forum where diverse panelists – including survivors of abuse and neglect, educators, nonprofit and child welfare workers, members of the faith community, and UO doctoral students – were asked to respond to this question:

It is 2030, and, based on our February 5, 2011, rates of child abuse and neglect, we have achieved a 90% reduction in child maltreatment in Lane County. What have we done to achieve this?

Stubbornly high rates of abuse and neglect in the county demonstrated that reaching a 90% reduction in abuse and neglect would take an entirely new way of thinking. Out of the conversations and ideas presented at the forum, the 90by30 Initiative was formed.

The Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect was established at the UO as the backbone organization, but the intention was to create a community-campus partnership: something housed at the UO but led by community members. It was important that decisions about how to prevent child abuse in each community be made on a local level.

To ensure local voices remained at the forefront of 90by30’s efforts, we divided the county into seven regions. Each region’s Regional Leadership Team spent time listening to community members and surveying residents about their thoughts on child abuse prevention. The results of those NUMBER surveys informed the creation of the regions’ unique prevention plans.

While each region chose its own blend of prevention strategies, some rose to the top in each region. The Welcome Baby Bundle, a gift welcoming the newest members of the community, and Roots of Empathy, a classroom-based program shown to increase empathy in students, were chosen by nearly every team.

Now, in 2020, the teams are deep into the implementation phase of their prevention plans. Team members are rolling out strategies and engaging community members, working toward a Lane County in which every individual and group plays a role in keeping children safe and healthy. Backed by the research expertise at the Center for the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect, we’re evaluating our strategies to ensure they’re making a difference – and to show us how they can be improved. A countywide media campaign to show community members how they can play their part in reducing child abuse launched in 2019. 

The next decade will be 90by30’s most crucial – and, with the help of our 230+ volunteers and dedicated staff, we’re ready to make the most of it.