Chicago, IL, February, 26, 2010 - Prevent Child Abuse America is pleased to present our new Board Chair Christopher Greeley, MD, FAAP, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Center for Clinical Research and Evidence-Based Medicine, University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston and Board Vice-Chair Angelo P. Giardino, MD, PhD, MPH, Medical Director, Texas Children's Health Plan.
Dr. Greeley is board certified in pediatrics as well as Child Abuse Pediatrics, and is a member of the AMA and the AAP. He is a member of the AAP Section on Child Abuse and Neglect and Section on International Child Health. His main clinical interests are in International Child Health, Child Abuse and Neglect and vulnerable populations. Dr. Greeley was also the 2006 Ray E Helfer Award winner. The Ray E Helfer Award is an annual award jointly presented by The American Academy of Pediatrics and The National Alliance of Children’s Trust and Prevention Funds “to a distinguished pediatrician for his or her contribution to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.”
In terms of what Dr. Greeley hopes to accomplish, he had the following to say, “I want to build upon the prior great works of Prevent Child Abuse America. I want to strengthen the relationship with the state chapters. There is an obvious void at the national level for an organization that wants to bring all people to the table to create real and sustainable change for the vulnerable children in our country. Prevent Child Abuse America can be the organization to facilitate a shift in how we value children in our society. This will require generating new knowledge, crossing political and economic barriers, as well as engaging others in our communities who don’t typically see child abuse and neglect as “their problem.”
Dr. Giardino is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and a member of the Academic Pediatrics Association and Texas Pediatric Society where he is co-chair of the Children with Disabilities and serves on the Child Abuse and Neglect Committee. Most recently Dr. Giardino was named the principal investigator for an Avon Foundation supported project designed to train pediatric health care professionals about how to screen for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the pediatric healthcare setting.
When asked why he wanted to serve on the Prevent Child Abuse America board, Dr. Giardino said, “I chose to serve on this board because after working clinically for over 20 years evaluating children who have been abused I very much want to "go up stream" and stop the abuse before it happens and frankly, I'd like to put myself out of business in terms of having to evaluate children after the abusive events have traumatized their lives. Prevent Child Abuse America is the organization that I recognize as the leader in trying to get the word out that child abuse can in fact be prevented... it's not hopeless, it's not too hard... it's actually doable and requires all of us to put our minds together, lock our arms and do the heavy lifting to find the resources and invest in the projects, and programs and community efforts to help families develop the skills and find the help they need to raise their children in a safe and nurturing family environment. As a pediatrician, I get to see all the potential that children have I just want to be part of a group that works hard to help all those children grow up and realize all that potential and I can think of no other national organization that promotes that effort more than Prevent Child Abuse America.”
Both Dr. Greeley and Dr. Giardino also both recently sat for the first board examination for a new pediatric subspecialty recognized by the American Board of Pediatrics to ensure that more organized clinical research in the field will be conducted to support pediatricians and others who testify in court during child-abuse cases. As a result, pediatricians certified in child abuse pediatrics will have a more informed medical opinion about what is abuse versus what may be a medical condition.
“We are honored to have both Dr. Greeley and Dr. Giardino assume leadership roles on the board,” said James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, “they have keen minds and a passion for this work. They are already having an impact on children’s lives and the communities they live in and we look forward to their providing guidance in furthering our efforts to do the same.”
Dr.’s Greeley and Giardino are joined as officers of the board by Board Treasurer Tom Carhart of New York City and Board Secretary Nancy Warren of Chicago.
Prevent Child Abuse America is proud to unveil its new Facebook Charity Gift. When you give our Pinwheel Facebook Gift to a friend or family member, you will be funding our new national campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention, which is prioritizing prevention right from the start to make sure that child abuse and neglect never occur in the first place. It's the gift that gives twice! Need a reason to give a friend a gift? Here are some ideas:
Send this gift on your friends’ birthdays.
Send this gift because you want to help raise awareness of and funding for this important cause.
Send this gift as an affirmation of your belief that all children deserve to be raised in healthy communities, free from abuse and neglect.
Help us spread the word and be sure to give the gift that gives twice by sending a pinwheel to your friends!
Many of you are aware that a pediatrician in Delaware was indicted on multiple counts in the alleged sexual abuse of his patients. Below please find the talking points we have developed in response to the case and our position on the prevention of sexual abuse.
This is a situation that should be discussed publicly, but one where we would like to raise some points that are not being discussed.
While the alleged perpetrator will be the focus of much of the discussion, we wish to change the focus to “what could have been done to prevent these children from being harmed”?
The right questions are now being asked by local authorities as to a) who had earlier suspicions about the pediatrician’s behavior, b) did the licensing board meet both the letter and the spirit of the law when it came to their attention several years ago, andc) what changes in policy must be made.
REMINDER:About 90% of the sexual abuse cases involves a person close and known to a child; stranger danger is real, but is a much smaller percentage of sexual abuse cases.
This incident points to the facts that:
It is the not the responsibility of the child to keep themselves safe, it is an adults.
Abuse can happen to any child, regardless of wealth.
We all have a role to play in the development of our children and that includes becoming involved in situations where children’s well-being is or can be jeopardized.
Situations such as this in a child’s life could result in life-long adversities including a greater potential for mental health and health issues, substance abuse, delinquency and criminal behavior and that costs our nation $104 billion to remediate when abuse and neglect is not prevented.
The trial is the not the end of the story, we should ask many questions and share the lessons learned.
Once the trial and the Governor’s investigation are completed, we need to take action and the public should demand it.
Children Need Your Help to Stay Safe
Take an active role in children’s lives:
Both the activities children are involved in and the people in children’s lives.
Talking to children regularly about what they’re doing can help you stay alert for possible problems.
Know about sexual predators and you with sexual behavior problems and how they work.
Teach children important skills to help them protect themselves. Make sure they know they can talk to you about anything that’s bothering them or if they feel mixed-up or confused.
Be alert for signs of sexual abuse. If you suspect or are told abuse, report it right away.
Support community efforts, for example:
Volunteer your time to organizations that help protect children.
Getting involved in public education campaigns that help raise awareness.
Things parent should look for as possible symptoms of sexual abuse:
Physical signs include:
Stained or torn underwear.
Trouble walking, sitting or going to the bathroom.
Difficulty swallowing or eating.
Emotional signs include:
Depression, anxiety, anger or mood swings.
Fears of certain places, people or activities.
Nightmares or sudden fear of the dark.
Behavioral signs include - for example these children may:
Act out sexually or show knowledge of sex that’s not appropriate for their age.
Show self-destructive behavior, such as pulling their hair or cutting their skin.
Act younger that their age, such as wetting the bed or sucking their thumb.
All children are different; parents know when something is wrong and should trust their instincts.
What parents can do:
Believe the child - children usually don’t make up stories of sexual abuse.
Get help for the child.
Be careful with questions - try to find out as much as you can about what happened, but avoid leading questions.
Report it!
Further:
Depending on the age of the child, stay in the room during a physical.
Talk to their child prior to a medical visit and after the examination.
Point out to the medical staff any discomfort you as a parent have with an examination and or procedure.
All children should know that they can come to you or another adult if they feel mixed-up or confused, or if someone is not listening when they set limits about play or touch.
Teach children:
The right names of their body parts.
When they should talk to you - for example, when any behavior confuses them and when touching or other situations make them feel uncomfortable, mixed-up or confused.
When not to keep secrets - help children understand the difference between secrets and surprises.
That no one has the right to touch them if they don’t want to be touched.
Earlier this month, President Obama released his comprehensive budget request for FY 2011. Despite freezing the overall non-defense discretionary spending level, the President’s proposal does include a number of much needed investments in children, including increases to Child Care, Head Start and Early Head Start, Promise Neighborhoods, and early learning initiatives. It also includes proposed increases to funds within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Many states utilize TANF to fund prevention services, such as home visiting.
The request marks the beginning of the annual federal budget process. Congress will take the proposals into consideration as it develops a Budget Resolution setting the overall revenue and spending parameters for the year.
Core Prevention Funding
The following are recommendations in the budget request for programs that either specifically identify child abuse and neglect prevention as a core purpose, or are flexible funding sources that states have used to fund prevention efforts.
Home Visiting State Grant Program Last year, the President proposed new mandatory funding for a state grant program for home visiting. As a result of this request, a grant program was included in the health care reform bills passed by the House and the Senate. Congress and the Administration are still working towards an agreement on differences between the House and Senate health care reform bills. The FY 2011 budget request assumes that Congress will pass health care reform, and therefore the new home visiting state grant program. Officials from the Administration explained that because of this assumption, the Administration did not specifically identify the home visiting state grant program in the FY 2011 budget request.
CAPTA Funded at $107 Million - $10 Million increase The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) embodies the federal commitment to preventing child maltreatment, but has not been funded adequately to meet the demand for community-based prevention programs.
Level Funds CAPTA Community-based Grants (CBCAP) at $41 Million CBCAP helps states develop and implement effective approaches to preventing child abuse and neglect. CBCAP is currently authorized at $80 million.
Level Funds CAPTA State Grants at $27 Million State grants provide funds for states to improve child protective services. CAPTA State Grants are currently authorized at $84 million.
Increases CAPTA Discretionary Grants to $39 Million CAPTA discretionary research and demonstration grants pay for valuable data collection, technical assistance, and grant-funded research and demonstration projects. The $10 million increase is to be directed towards a new competitive grant program to encourage states to use evidence-based practices for preventing child abuse and neglect.
Home Visiting Project: In FY 2009, $13.5 million was included in the CAPTA discretionary grant to support the 2nd year of a 5 year evidence-based home visiting initiative. Funding to continue the initiative was included in the House and Senate FY 2010 appropriations bills, but was dropped when the bills were merged. Legislators cited the state program for home visiting included in health care reform as the reason for zeroing out the funding, even though the programs serve distinct purposes and passage of the new state grant program is not assured. The 17 grantees are funded through September 30, 2010. Prevent Child Abuse America is working to identify opportunities to restore funding for the project.
MCH Block Grant Increased by $11 Million The President requests funding the Maternal Child Health (MCH) Block Grant at $673 million in FY 2011, an $11 million increase over current funding. MCHB provides funding to states to improve the health, safety, and well-being of mothers and children.
PSSF Level Funded at $368 Million The Promoting Safe and Stable Families (PSSF) grant program helps states pay for family support, family preservation, family reunification, and adoption support. States must spend at least 20% of their grant on each of the four categories, making it the largest dedicated source of funding for prevention. PSSF is divided into a discretionary funding stream, which is subject to annual appropriations, and a mandatory funding stream, which is funded without having to be appropriated each year.
Mandatory Funding Request: The President requests $305 billion in mandatory funding for PSSF, which is the fully authorized level, and the level provided in FY 2010.
Discretionary Funding Request: The President requests $63 million in discretionary funding for PSSF, the same level of funding provided in FY 2010, and $137 million below the fully authorized level of $200 million.
SSBG Fully Funded at $1.7 Billion HHS reports that the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funded preventive services for 20 percent of the total child recipients of preventive services in 2007. SSBG is a mandatory grant to states, meaning that it does not go through the annual appropriations process. Despite that, SSBG has been cut in appropriations bills in past years. The request for full funding should offer protection against cuts this year.
TANF Funding Extended and Increased The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program’s authorization expires this year. The President’s budget requests that the TANF Block Grant ($16.7 billion), Supplemental Grants ($319 million), and Contingency Fund ($1.855 billion) be extended through FY 2011 and makes the following additional policy recommendations:
New $500 Million Fatherhood, Marriage, and Families Innovation Fund The President proposes eliminating the Healthy Marriage and Responsible Fatherhood Fund, currently funded at $150 million, and establishing a new Fatherhood, Marriage, and Families Innovation Fund. The fund would be distributed as 3-year competitive grants to states to support the development, implementation and evaluation of:
a) Comprehensive fatherhood programs that rely on strong partnerships with community-based organizations. Examples given include expanding service provided through child support enforcement offices, funding comprehensive fatherhood programs, and eliminating barriers to employment; and
b) Demonstrations geared towards improving child outcomes by improving outcomes for custodial parents with serious barriers to self-sufficiency. Examples given include home visiting, subsidized employment, transitional jobs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Priority will be given to states proposing activities supported by strong evidence. The programs will have to be rigorously evaluated. The fund would be mandatory, so it would not have to go through the annual appropriations process once it is authorized by Congress.
TANF Emergency Fund Extended and Purposes Expanded The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA/stimulus bill) enacted last year provided $5 billion over 2 years for a TANF Emergency Fund. The budget request provides $2.5 billion to extend the Fund through FY 2011 to help pay for increased expenditures on cash assistance, employment-related services, and other related services. More details on the Administration’s request to expand the purpose of the fund are expected in the coming weeks.
Additional Funding for Children and Families
Programs in this category represent funding that is not traditionally utilized for prevention services, but provides critical support to children and families. Also included are new initiatives that have the potential to be utilized for prevention, but more information is needed. The list is not exhaustive, but is meant to highlight programs that Prevent Child Abuse America and our Chapter and Healthy Families networks have identified as having particular relevance to our goal of fostering healthy child development.
Child Care Increased by $1.6 Billion: The Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) consists of a mandatory funding stream and a discretionary funding stream. The President’s request increases child care mandatory funding by $800 million, to $3.7 billion and calls for mandatory funding to be adjusted for inflation after FY 2011. The President also requests that discretionary funding be increased by $800 million to $2.9 billion. The budget request lays out principles for reauthorizing CCDF, including improving quality, expanding professional development opportunities, and promoting coordination across early childhood programs.
Early Learning Challenge Fund Proposed: The President requests $9.3 billion over 10 years for a new Early Learning Challenge Fund to make competitive grants to states to improve the quality of early learning programs. Managed by the Department of Education, the initiative would provide grants to states for the development of a statewide infrastructure of integrated early learning supports and services for children, from birth through age five. The President first recommended the creation of the fund in his FY 2010 budget request. The House passed legislation authorizing the fund in 2009. A companion Senate bill has not yet been introduced.
Federal Foster Care Assistance Temporarily Increased: ARRA included a temporary 6.2 percent increase to the federal matching rate (FMAP) for title IV-E foster care and adoption assistance. The FY 2011 budget request extends the temporary FMAP increase through June 2011.
Head Start and Early Head Start Increased by $989 Million: The President’s FY 2011 budget request provides $8.2 billion to Head Start and Early Head Start. The request maintains the expansion provided under ARRA and provides a cost of living increase for grantees.
Healthy Start Increased by $5 Million: The President requests $110 million for Healthy Start in FY 2011, a $5 million increase over current levels. Healthy Start provides services to reduce risk factors that contribute to infant mortality.
Literacy Programs Consolidated, Overall Funding Increased to $450 Million: The FY 2011 budget zeroes out funding for Even Start, Early Reading First, Striving Readers, Literacy Through School Libraries, National Writing Project, Reading is Fundamental, and Ready-To-Learn Television, totaling $413.3 million. That funding is then applied towards a new $450 million competitive state literacy grant program.
Promise Neighborhoods Increased by $200 Million: The Promise Neighborhoods competitive grants were initiated last year for community-based organizations to develop and implement plans for comprehensive neighborhood programs modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone. The initiative is designed to improve education and life outcomes through providing entire neighborhoods with comprehensive services from birth through college. Congress provided $10 million for the Promise Neighborhoods in FY 2010. The President is requesting that Congress authorize the program and provide $210 million in FY 2011.
Strengthening Communities Fund Eliminated: ARRA provided $50 million for a competitive grant to build the capacity of nonprofit and governmental organizations that partner with faith-based and community-based organizations. The fund replaced the Compassion Capital Fund, which had been funded at $48 million in FY 2009. The President’s request does not continue funding for the recovery program in FY 2011.
WIC Increased by $350 Million: The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) provides low-income at-risk pregnant and post-partum women, infants, and children with vouchers for nutritious supplemental food packages, nutrition education and counseling, and health and immunization referrals. WIC was funded at $7.25 billion in FY 2010. The President is requesting $7.6 billion in FY 2011.
Next Steps
The House and Senate will soon begin drafting Budget Resolutions that will provide the broad spending and revenue framework for FY 2011. Once approved, Congress will act on annual appropriations bills for discretionary funding and authorizing legislation for mandatory funding.
We expect this to be a difficult budget year and Members of Congress will need to hear from their constituents about the value and benefits of federal investments in prevention.
Prevent Child Abuse America will send requests for action to the Prevent Child Abuse Chapter and Healthy Families networks throughout the year. If you are not a member of one of these networks, but want to help, please let us know.
Valentine’s Day is this Sunday. Send FTD flowers and gifts and FTD will donate 15% of every order to Prevent Child Abuse America. Just visit this link or call 1-800-SEND-FTD and mention promo code 13060. Remember, child abuse and neglect is preventable and we all can play a role. Your thoughtfulness to a loved one this Valentine’s Day is a gift to all parents and children nationwide. Our deepest thanks to FTD for this generous partnership, which runs year-round. So be sure to save the above address and phone promo code and use them every time you purchase beautiful flowers and gifts. That way, you can give the gift that gives twice any time of the year.
Chicago, IL, February 4, 2010 - Last night Jim Hmurovich, President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America appeared on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric to discuss the 4th National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. The highlight of the study is the finding that there has been a 26% decrease in incidents of serious child abuse, especially sexual abuse, between 1993 and 2005. Prevent Child Abuse America celebrates this finding and applauds CBS and Katie Couric for covering the story. We also believe though that the release of the report should serve as an opportunity to discuss the state of prevention across the nation.
The decrease took place during a period when states and the federal government were making massive investments in evidence-based prevention strategies, such as home visitation, parent support and education and information on early childhood development. This finding supports our belief that investments in evidence based strategies are working and proving to be less costly to our children, communities and nation.
Given this, we must also recognize that this prevention infrastructure is at-risk of being un-raveled due to budget cuts at the very moment when greater investments are required.
As Mr. Hmurovich was quoted as saying on CBS, "It would be easy during these economic times to forget that (the investment in prevention) must be a continuing investment and that it's not over."
Congressman Danny Davis, a long-time champion for investing in home visitation services such as the Healthy Families America program highlighted in the segment, had the following to say, “Education plays a significant role in helping prevent child abuse and neglect. It is important that federal, state, and local governments invest in evidence-based activities, such as home visiting, to support children and families and to reduce child abuse and neglect. High quality prevention programs work and we can’t let up now.”
Some other thoughts to consider:
We must place the study in the context of the current economy and consider the outcomes if the study was performed today;
Children of unemployed parents had two times the rate of maltreatment overall, (2 times the rate of abuse and 3 times the rate of neglect than employed parents);
Children living in households below $15,000 were neglected seven times the rate of other children living in households above $15,000;
Over the past year, many states have cut funding to prevention, early childhood and home visitation programs such as Healthy Families America. More cuts are expected this year; and
The Senate, the House and the President all have endorsed a significant federal investment in home visitation...now they need to finish the job by enacting the new funding.
The lesson to be learned according to Mr. Hmurovich, “Don’t cut the prevention budget in these challenging economic times.”
The 4th National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect has been released and the highlight has been the 26% decrease in incidents of serious child abuse, especially sexual abuse. There is much to think about, and discuss, with the release of this report and so we would like to offer you the following thoughts. The Major Talking Points:
Child maltreatment is preventable;
Our belief is that investments in evidence based strategies such as home visitation, parent support and education and information on early childhood development are working and proving to be less costly to our communities and nation;
REMINDER:The 3rd NIS report pre-dated the massive investments made by the state and federal governments in prevention.Now is not the time to stop those investments.
The prevention infrastructure is at-risk of being un-raveled due to budget cuts.
The report provides policy makers with “Next Steps” to continue this trend:
We must place that in the context of the current economy and consider the outcomes if the study was performed today.
Children of unemployed parents had two times the rate of maltreatment overall, (2 times the rate of abuse and (3 times the rate of neglect than employed parents);
Children living in households below $15,000 were neglected seven times the rate of other children living in households above $15,000;
Children living with a biological parent and a live-in partner had eight times the rate of maltreatment overall, compared with children living with both biological parents.
Lesson to be learned:Don’t cut the prevention budget in these challenging economic times.
Other important observations:
The public is aware of the issue but are they engaged in preventing maltreatment?
The study found that only about 1 out of every 3 children who experienced harm or endangerment were investigated by CPS….that is not necessarily a cps issue, it is a public issue. (The data does not advise whether the cases were reported and they were not investigated by cps or whether they were simply never reported).
The lowest rates of investigation occurred for children recognized at schools, daycare or shelters.What does this mean?What corrective actions can be taken?
Emotional neglect increased; unclear why, but this needs additional study.
What Can Be Done?
Consider services that provide the needed supports to families so abuse and neglect never occurs.
Support policy decisions that are based on the premise that children, are in fact, our most valuable resource.
EXAMPLE:The Senate, the House and the President all have endorsed a significant federal investment in home visitation….now they need to finish the job by enacting the new funding.
Recognize that abuse and neglect crosses all socioeconomic lines and is precipitated by everyday stressors like unemployment, underemployment and home foreclosures.
HAVE EVERYONE AGREE THAT PREVENTION MEANS THE CHILD IS NEVER ABUSED OR NEGLECTED.
Having this generally agreed upon goal will focus policymakers, researcher and the public on common sense strategies to give every child an even start in life.
