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Bill Would Require Signs in Public Schools on How to Report Child Abuse and Exploitation
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With three weeks remaining in the 2017 legislative session, a bill that would require all public schools to post at least five signs that provide reporting information for incidents of child abuse, neglect, and exploitation beginning in the 2018-19 school year remains in committee. House bill H. 3920 is being considered by the K-12 subcommittee of the House Education and Public Works Committee.
House Bills Up for Debate in
Senate
The Senate Judiciary subcommittee began consideration last week of H. 3442. The proposed legislation adds circumstances under which a nonresident may adopt a child and provide for the right to file a petition for adoption.
The Senate General Committee began discussion on several bills related to child welfare. None of the following bills have passed out of committee:
- H. 3125: Safety plans and temporary relative or alternative care of children
- H. 3538: Persons with Disabilities Right to Parent Act, which protects parenting rights of persons with disabilities
- H. 3823: Mandated reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect
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New Policy Statement on Kinship Care
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a new policy statement on kinship care, "Needs of Kinship Care Families and Pediatric Practice." It cites growing evidence that children who can't live with their biological parents fare better when living with extended family rather than nonrelated foster parents.
This policy statement is intended to raise awareness that extra supports are needed to help ensure the well-being of both the child and the kinship caregiver, and it recommends guidelines that pediatricians should adopt.
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Studies Published on Homeless Youth and Sex and Labor Trafficking
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Largest-ever Combined Sample of Homeless Youth in U.S. and Canada Reveals High Rates of Trafficking
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Two groundbreaking studies by Covenant House Youth for the Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice and Research and the Loyola University Modern Slavery Research Projects revealed the following:
- 19 percent of respondents were identified as victims of some form of human trafficking;
- 14 percent were victims of sex trafficking; and
- 8 percent had been traffick for other forced labor.
A story in U.S. News and World Report story provides a summary of the project that interviewed 911 homeless young adults interviewed between February 2014 and March 2017.
The full report examines the factors of youth homelessness and solutions for shelters to help trafficked survivors and strategies to prevent the exploitation of other homeless youth.
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Nonfatal Injury Data Now Available
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) to include 2015 nonfatal injury data. Researchers, practitioners, the media and the general public can use WISQARS data to learn more about the public health and economic burden of injury in the United States. Users can search, sort and view the injury data and create reports, charts, maps and slides.
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Report Highlights Proposed Deportation Policy Puts Kids at Risk
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An estimated 5.1 million children in the United States live with at least one unauthorized immigrant parent, and nearly 80 percent of those children are U.S. citizens. A report by Child Trends states the recent changes to immigration policy and enforcement that directly target adults also threaten the well-being of related children.
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Congressional Bill Reintroduced to Assist Tribal Special Needs Children
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A recent story in
Indian Country Today details how
U.S. senators Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., as well as U.S. representatives Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Tom Cole, R-Okla., reintroduced bipartisan legislation that would give parents adopting tribal special needs children an adoption tax credit. The proposed legislation would enable parents to claim the adoption tax credit available to them in all 50 states.
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Discussion on Universal Child Allowance
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| Register Now For Monday, May 1, Webcast |
The Center on Children and Families at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. - along with the American Enterprise Institute, the University of Michigan's Poverty Solutions, the University of Wisconsin's Institute for Research on Poverty, and Columbia University's Center on Poverty and Social Policy - will host leading experts to discuss the current safety net and potential benefits and costs of a Universal Child Allowance.
This event will be webcast live. You can also join the conversation on Twitter using #ChildAllowance.
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Child Welfare Across the Nation
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Michigan Bill Would Make Animal Control Report Child Abuse
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Animal control officers in Michigan could soon be required to report suspected child abuse to Child Protective Services, according to a story from abc12.com. The theory behind the bill introduced in the state legislature in Lansing this month is that the crimes are often linked. O
ther states have similar co-reporting laws requiring animal control officers to report suspected child abuse and child protective services agents to report possible animal abuse.
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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.
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