Child Abuse Prevention and Family Support Links
AAP and Prevention CFSP and CFSR
WV Children's Trust Fund Child Abuse Prevention Month
ECCS FRIENDS National Resource Center
Strengthening Families WV Home Visitation Program
Why Prevention Matters Series WV Family Survey Results
Adverse Childhood Experiences Study
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. Back to top of Page
American Academy of Pediatrics and Prevention
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued guidelines on preventing child maltreatment by strengthening families and enhancing child development. These recommendations are published in the October issue of Pediatrics. The AAP report also describes how pediatricians can identify family strengths and risk factors, facilitate better family relationships, and provide appropriate guidance and referrals. Back to top of Page
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
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 It was originally enacted in 1974 and most recently reauthorized by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003.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. Back to top of Page
Child and Family Services Plan (CFSP) and Child and Family Services Review
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. Back to Top of Page
Children's Trust Fund
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. Back to top of Page
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month
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 2011 materials available as well. Back to top of Page
Early Comprehensive Childhood Systems
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:
- Access to Health Insurance and Medical Home
- Mental Health and Social-Emotional Development
- Early Care and Education/Child Care
- Parenting Education
- Family Support.
More information can be found at www.state-eccs.org/. Back to top of Page
FRIENDS National Resource Center for CBCAP
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. Back to top of Page
Strengthening Families and Protective Factors
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:
- Strengthening Families website
- Child Welfare Information Gateway information
- Protective Factors Survey
WV home visitation program
On March 23, 2010, the President signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 designed to make quality affordable health care available to all Americans. A provision authorized the creation of the Affordable Care Act(ACA) Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visitation Program. In West Virginia, The Office of Maternal Child and Family Health (OMCFH) will be administering these dollars. For more information, click here. Back to top of Page
why prevention matters series
Read up on this new series released by Prevent Child Abuse America with the Support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The articles can be found here.
