Texas Safe Babies Logo

Texas
Safe
Babies

The Texas Safe Babies initiative is led by Dr. Dorothy Mandell at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health.

The initiative encompasses a number of projects designed to prevent maltreatment, especially abusive head trauma, in the first year after birth. The collective purpose of the Safe Babies projects is to develop a strong evidence base that leads to wide-scale implementation of education that supports positive parenting and provides tools to help parents cope with the difficult aspects of caring for an infant.

2023 Pediatric brain health summit

Parenting Action Plan

The Parenting Action Plan (PAP) is intended to help maternal caregivers of newborns understand and cope with some of the most stressful situations during an infant’s first few months of life.

The Family CARE Portfolio

The Family CARE Portfolio is a tool designed to support pregnant women and families with complex social needs. The goal of a Family CARE Portfolio is to strengthen the family, help mothers have a healthy pregnancy, and keep child(ren) safely at home. By utilizing this tool, families can demonstrate the progress they are making, preparations they have made to provide a safe and stable home, and supports they have in place to be successful.

Pediatric Brain Health Network

Find resources, exchange ideas, and discover training opportunities on pediatric brain development to help inform and support programs that promote community resilience and optimal development in Texas’ children.

Father's Playbook

About to be a Dad and trying to make sense of pregnancy, what to do, and where to start? The Father’s Playbook app is here to help.

Maltreatment Risk Maps

Drawing on data from five different sources, a series of maps intended to provide communities in Texas with information about their maltreatment risk and to provide insight as to which factors are associated with that risk.