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Editor's Note

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Legislation Prefiled to Address Child Welfare Concerns

The Department of Social Services Oversight Subcommittee recently heard testimony from several individuals. Dr. Olga Rosa, board certified child abuse pediatrician and DSS Acting Director, Amber Gilliam both testified. The committee heard about needs for centralized intake hotline for child abuse cases, increased collaboration with S.C. Children's Advocacy Medical Response System and creation of local child fatality review committees.

Video of the testimony is available. 

Prefiled legislation addresses some of the concerns raised during these hearings. 

• S. 150 (Sen. Shealy, R-Lexington) restructures DSS through the creation of the Department of Family Protective Services
• S. 250 (Sen. Shealy, R-Lexington; Sen. Lourie, D-Richland; Sen. Young, R-Aiken) would allow medical records to be released without consent of parent(s) to the medical provider who is evaluating a child for suspected abuse and neglect. Obtaining written consent to release the child's medical records can be very difficult -- even impossible -- to obtain if the parent is unavailable or the suspected perpetrator and HIPPA allows for this exception.
• S. 265 (Sen. Young, R-Aiken) allows for out-of-court testimony from staff of child advocacy centers in suspected child abuse and neglect cases. 

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First Steps Study Committee Meeting This Week

The First Steps Study Committee will hold its last meeting of the year today, Thursday, Dec. 18, at 1pm.  The committee will hear from invited speakers to inform their recommendations to the General Assembly regarding proposed changes to First Steps and South Carolina's early childhood system. This study committee was created as part of the First Steps reauthorization law.   

The meeting agenda is available.  The meeting can be seen via live broadcast video stream.

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CEO Sue Williams Opinion Piece Featured
in The State

Children's Trust joined with other Prevent Child Abuse America chapters across the country in writing opinion pieces for newspapers in response to the NFL's decision around Adrian Peterson. The State published one from Children's Trust's Chief Executive Officer Sue Williams on Dec. 9.

Williams writes, "Through our child abuse, neglect and injury prevention work, we teach positive disciplinary techniques and enhance parenting knowledge and practices and stress-management skills - pieces that might have been lacking when Peterson struck his son. Kids need time outs, but parents need them too - particularly in the heat of the moment." 

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Children's Trust Work Highlighted in National Publication for Exemplary Practices

FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention released its Exemplary Practices report and showcased the work of 16 states. South Carolina, through the work of Children's Trust, was featured. 

During the past five years, Children's Trust has worked collaboratively with DSS to obtain data from their child abuse and neglect cases that would measure and benchmark "first time victims" at the zip code level.  With very limited funds, this information is critical to help best determine where limited funding can have the greatest impact. 

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Support Growing for MIECHV Reauthorization 

Home visiting is a proven, early-intervention strategy that pairs new, volunteer families with professionals who provide family-focused services throughout the child's first few years. The program offers services to expectant and post-partum parents and families with new babies and children. In South Carolina all of the program models serve at-risk, low-income mothers. Skills addressed include maternal and child health, positive parenting practices, safe home environments and access to services.

From 2008 through 2016, Children's Trust will invest more than $15.4 million in funding to implement home visiting programs across South Carolina to approximately 2,400 newly enrolled families.

More information on home visiting, including local programs in your area, is available.
 

Attendees at the recent Home Visiting Summit show their support for home visiting and its role in preventing child abuse.

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White House Hosts Summit on Early Childhood

Last week, the White House held a summit on early learning bringing together private and public partners to discuss important of increased early childhood investments.

To expand high-quality preschool and and grow the supply of early care and education for infants and toddlers, more than $330 million was committed on behalf of corporate partners across the country and more than $750 million in new federal grant awards was announced. 

Invest in Us website was also launched by the bipartisan, nonprofit group, the First Five Years Fund. The website contains the names of all partners, additional resources (including videos highlighting home visiting and quality early care), and a call to action to pledge to support a better nation by expanding high-quality early childhood education programs. 

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Adolescent Health Data Available

The US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health has compiled new state data fact sheets on reproductive health, mental health, physical health and nutrition, substance abuse and healthy relationships. Data and research consistently shows that the choices made and behaviors adopted during adolescence can affect overall well-being and adult health.

Highlights from the reports show a decrease in teen pregnancy for the nation and for South Carolina.  However, work remains to be done to promote physical activity and decrease alcohol and tobacco consumption.

Children's Trust is the lead agency in South Carolina with other state and local partners  for the Office of Adolescent Health's Community Support for Young Parents program, which works to support pregnant and parenting teens so that they stay in school, reach their education goals improve their parenting skills and become better connected to supportive resources. 

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Justice Policy Institute Publishes Report on the High Cost and Negative Outcomes of Youth Incarceration

The Justice Policy Institute compiled a survey and found that 33 states spend $100,000 or more annually to incarcerate a young person. The report also finds that the long-term consequences of youth incarceration could cost taxpayers $8 billion to $21 billion each year. 

Recommendations outlined in the report include investment in alternatives to incarceration, improve system to track recidivism and measure positive outcomes, as well as the need for additional longitudinal research to measure impact of confinements as juveniles transition into adulthood.

 

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Child Welfare News from Around the Country

In a legal analysis, Marcia A. Hamilton compiles the best and worst of child protection from around the country in 2014. 

Results First in Rhode Island:  Applying Evidence to Key Budget and Policy Decisions
In testimonial video, Brian Daniels, director of performance management in the Office of Management and Budget, highlights Rhode Island's progress in implementing the Results First approach and discusses the findings from its inventory of evidence-based recidivism reduction programs in the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems.

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