|
Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children
|
|
|
Advocates Working to Secure Support for Reauthorization of Home Visiting Funding
|
|
Campaign Asks U.S. Congress to Reauthorize MIECHV
|
The time to act in favor of home visiting is now. Progress has stalled on legislation because elected officials are not hearing from their constituents about how important this work is for families.
Hundreds of child-serving organizations across the nation, including Children’s Trust of South Carolina, are mobilizing support for the reauthorization of the Maternal
, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
The evidence-based program, which has had strong bipartisan backing, p
rovides funding that improves the lives of vulnerable children and families. Advocates want to see it expanded for a term of five years with increased incremental funding from $400 million annually to $800 million before it expires in September.
Children’s Trust supports four MIECHV home visiting models in South Carolina with 16 local implementing agencies serving 41 counties. View the video on our home visiting website.
This voluntary early-intervention program produces a broad spectrum of multigenerational proven outcomes in health, development, and education for children and parents through home visits from nurses, social workers or child specialists.
Whitney Tucker, policy research associate at Children's Trust, met with S.C. Congressional members in July to discuss the reauthorization. Eric Bellamy, the home visiting manager for Children's Trust, provided testimony in March before the U.S. House Ways and Means Human Resources subcommittee on reauthorization of the MIECHV program.
In his testimony, Bellamy said, "Families receiving home visiting services are documented to show significant improvements across a number of key measures, including birth outcomes, child development screenings and referrals, prevention of abuse and neglect, and school readiness."
|
|
|
Race Equity Webinars Offer Key Information
|
|
|
Children’s Trust and a group of sponsoring organizations –
Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina, Care Share Health Alliance, Eat Smart Move More, South Carolina Palmetto Association for Children and Families, Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina, South Carolina First Steps to School Readiness, South Carolina Hospital Association, and St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church –
are hosting a series of three webinars on race equity and inclusion. These webinars will deepen knowledge of racial equity principles and concepts.
Recording of the previous session is available:
|
|
|
Register Today for Prevention Conference and Child Passenger Safety Summit
|
|
Register for 2017 Prevention Conference hosted by Children’s Trust to be held on Oct. 2-3 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
With a theme of "Embracing Prevention, Empowering Communities," the biennial event will emphasize the role everyone plays in keeping children safe. The conference will help home visitors, social workers, counselors, program administrators and other child-serving professionals with their work to prevent child abuse, neglect and injuries. Professional continuing educational units will be available.
Register in July and take advantage of our summer pricing at $175 per person. Rates go up to $200 after July 31.
As part of the conference, Children’s Trust also is hosting the
Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Summit
on Oct. 3. This in-depth technical training will provide the most current information regarding safety regulations, equipment training and updates from car seat manufacturers. To help
child passenger safety technicians maintain their certification, this training will offer continuing education units. Cost is $75.
|
|
|
Reform Could Include Child Tax Credit Expansion
|
|
|
Federal lawmakers met in late June to discuss expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) as part of upcoming tax reform. A bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate that would give families a tax credit of $2,500 per child.
The Associated Press reported that Ivanka Trump met with a group that included Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to talk family tax policies.
An administration official has since indicated that the credit will be part of a proposal that the White House's National Economic Council puts forward.
|
|
|
Study Released on Homeless Students
|
|
|
Homeless students have long been considered an invisible population in American education policy discussions, but the new federal education law puts a renewed emphasis on identifying and serving them.
|
|
|
Child Welfare Across the Nation
|
|
|
New Mexico: Strong Investment in Child Abuse Prevention
|
|
|
New Mexico officials issued contracts to eight organizations under a two-year, $3 million pilot program aiming to curb child abuse and neglect in Albuquerque and Bernalillo counties.
According to a story in the Las Cruces Sun-News, the funds were provided through a countywide tax earmarked for behavioral health services, with the goal of providing more children and families with prevention and treatment services not covered under Medicaid and other insurance programs.
|
|
|
Pennsylvania: Child Abuse Laws Strengthened
|
|
|
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed House Bill 217, “renewing the commonwealth’s commitment to the safety of its children and increasing penalties for those who carelessly and flagrantly endanger them.”
According to a story in the Centre Daily Times, the law will let courts consider an endangered child’s age and how much harm was done in considering prosecution.
|
|
|
Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.
|
|
|
Follow Us on Social Media
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
