The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study is often used to demonstrate to funders, the community, and legislators the correlation between childhood trauma and negative consequences later in life. More information can be found at www.acestudy.org.
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) is the key federal legislation addressing child abuse and neglect. It was originally enacted in 1974 and most recently reauthorized by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003. CAPTA provides federal funding to states, including West Virginia, in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities and also provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for demonstration programs and projects. This legislation established the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect and mandates the Child Welfare Information Gateway. CAPTA also sets forth the minimum definition of child abuse and neglect. The CAPTA manual can be found at www.acf.hhs.gov.
Child and Family Services Reviews came about due to 1994 amendments to the Social Security Act. These amendments authorized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to review state child and family services programs to ensure conformity with the requirements in Titles IV-B and IV-E of the SSA. On January 25, 2000, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the final rule in the Federal Register to establish a new approach to monitoring State child welfare programs. Under the rule, States, including West Virginia, are assessed for substantial conformity with certain federal requirements for child protective, foster care, adoption, family preservation, family support, and independent living services. The Children's Bureau administers the review system, known as the Child and Family Services Review(CFSR). Further information, including 2007-2010 CFSR information can be found on the Childrens Bureau website.
Child and Family Services Plans compliment the monitoring system described above. The Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) is a required five year comprehensive plan that outlines the initiatives and activities West Virginia will carry out in administering programs and services to promote the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families. West Virginia reports annually on the progress made by submitting an Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR). Further information can be found here.
Many states, including West Virginia, have established through formal law Children's Trust Funds. These statewide initiatives are funding sources that promote child abuse prevention. West Virginia established its own Children's Trust Fund in 1984 through WV Chapter 49 Article 6C. The West Virginia Children's Trust Fund (WVCTF) or (CTF) supports prevention activities throughout the state. Funding for the CTF comes from tax donation checkoffs on WV tax returns, the sale of Heritage Birth Certificates, online contributions, and other fundraising activities. Visit www.wvctf.org for more information about the programs funded and giving opportunities.
The federal level department is called the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and can be found at www.hhs.gov. Under the auspices of the U.S. HHS, falls the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) where most child abuse prevention and family support funds originate.
In West Virginia, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources houses the Bureau for Children and Families that distributes federal funds and matching state funds, including the Children's Trust Fund. Grants usually fall under the Division of Children and Adult Services or the Division of Early Care and Education.
Other partners involved with child abuse prevention and family support programs include Bureau of Public Health - Office of Maternal, Child and Family Health.
New Resources have been added to the Prevention section of Child Welfare Information Gateway. Click here for the latest resources. Prevent Child Abuse WV has 2010 materials available as well.
WV DHHR Office of Maternal Child and Family Health received a grant from HRSA to begin work on developing a plan for an Early Childhood Comprehensive System. The results of that work can be found in the state plan. The required components of that plan include:
More information can be found at www.state-eccs.org/.
Much of the information around CBCAP, evidence based practice, and outcome accountability has been adapted from the FRIENDS NRC. FRIENDS offers a vast amount of information and resources for grantees and can be accessed at www.friendsnrc.org.
Much of the current research around family support and child abuse prevention focuses on the concepts of Strengthening Families through a Protective Factors framework. The Strengthening Families initiative started with early care and education settings and is being expanded to most child serving settings. The following resources may be useful: