Prevention, early intervention and family support services reduce the actual incidence of child abuse so families don’t need to be in child protection at all, or respond to maltreatment early so children can safely stay with their families.
Two bills introduced in the new state legislative session, House File (H.F.) 1 and H.F. 30 would further these goals. They include:
- $5 million annually to reduce racial disparities in prenatal care
- $23 million for home visiting programs in 2020, growing to $56 million by 2022, including 25% set-aside for outreach to underserved communities
- Major expansion of early learning scholarships
- $5 million annually to increase child care options especially in rural communities
We will support these bills for their potential to reduce child maltreatment as well as racial disparities in child welfare.