Maltreatment Prevention

Child Maltreatment 2018 Report Shows an Increase in Child Abuse

On January 15, 2020, the Children’s Bureau released the annual child abuse and neglect report: Child Maltreatment 2018. The numbers show an increase in the rates of abuse and neglect for the first time since 2015, with infants and young children having the highest increase in child maltreatment. For the federal fiscal year 2018, there

CAPTA Gets Increases

As part of the budget deal, Congress provided the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) with some small but important increases that CWLA and the National Child Abuse Coalition sees as being part of a new recognition of CAPTA’s importance. CAPTA state grants will increase by $5 million to $90 million. Far short of

Series Finds that No State Follows All of CAPTA Requirements

On December 13, the Boston Globe and ProPublica released their findings on the first national survey they conducted on state’s compliance with the only federal child abuse law, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). The reporters found that not one state complied with all of the legal requirements. CAPTA requires states to comply

Senate HELP Committee Adopts CAPTA-Adoption Opportunities Reauthorizations

On Thursday, December 12, the Senate HELP Committee approved the reauthorizations of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (S. 2971) and the Adoption Opportunities Act (S. 2969) by voice vote. Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) remarked that today, the Senate HELP Committee approval of legislation would help states prevent child abuse and ensure the

Appropriations Negotiated Deal Could Happen This Week

With a second continuing resolution that extended FY 2020 funding until December 20, 2019 due to expire, late Thursday Senator Richard Shelby (D-AL) and Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) as respective chairs of the two appropriations committees announced a final deal on the 12 appropriations bills. How funding is divided should be released soon along with

Senate CAPTA-Adoption Opportunities Reauthorizations Introduced

A reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) S 2971 (Senator Johnny Isakson R-OK) and separate Adoption Opportunities Act Reauthorization, S 2969 (Senator Doug Jones D-AL) was introduced in the Senate on Wednesday, December 4. The bills, which will be joined together as a final package, would reauthorize the CAPTA and the

Administration Publishes Rule Change on Discrimination in Use of HHS Funds

Following up on a Friday, November 1, press announcement, on Tuesday, November 19, HHS published both their notice of non-enforcement of anti-discrimination provisions implemented during the Obama Administration and a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding the Obama nondiscrimination regulation regarding federal funding under HHS programs including child welfare funding under Title IV-E and Title IV-E.

Moving Upstream: Prevention of Child Abuse & Neglect

The Children’s Trust Fund Alliance held a Congressional Briefing on Thursday, November 14, 2019, titled “Moving Upstream: What works to strengthen families and prevent child abuse and neglect.” The panel featured LaCrisha Rose from the Alliance National Parent Partnership Council and West Virginia Circle of Parents Network, Dr. Melissa Merrick from Prevent Child Abuse America,

Plans of Safe Care for Infants with Prenatal Substance Exposure

On Wednesday, November 13, 2019, the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) hosted a facilitated discussion with representatives from child welfare and healthcare agencies from Colorado, Delaware, and New York. The webinar provided an overview of the treatment needs of pregnant women with substance use disorders and the effects of exposure to

Partnering to Serve Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care

On Tuesday, November 12, the University Based Child and Family Policy Consortium held a webinar, “Partnering to Serve Pregnant and Parenting Youth in Foster Care in Illinois,” explained the results of the Healthy Families Illinois (HFI) Home Visiting Pilot Program. Speakers included Jaime Russell from Children’s Home and Aid and Amy Dworsky from the University

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