Prevention and Early Intervention Prevention and Early Intervention

PEI's responsibilities include:

  • Managing programs that help prevent child abuse and other bad outcomes.
  • Helping communities identify and meet their needs.
  • Sharing tips for parents and information everyone can use to keep kids safe.
  • Recommending best practices and policies to reduce child abuse.

What is Prevention and Early Intervention?

PEI is the DFPS program that focuses on stopping bad outcomes before they happen. We help families and communities prevent:

  • Child abuse and neglect.
  • Juvenile delinquency.
  • Runaway youth.
  • Truancy.

What Does PEI Do?

  • We manage programs that offer free, voluntary services to families. Read our program descriptions to learn more about each program. Use our service locator to see what programs are available in your county.
  • We don’t provide services directly. Instead, we contract with local nonprofits, governments, and schools. We provide funding and other resources to support these local service providers and the families they help. If you are a PEI contractor or want to work with us, review our information for grantees.
  • We spread the word about ways to keep kids safe. We also share tips for parents. Our articles, videos, and resource library are all available to the public. Click the links below to learn more.  
  • We have a special office that works to reduce serious injuries and deaths caused by child abuse. The Office of Child Safety reviews cases, conducts research, writes reports, and makes recommendations.