Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato
Abstract
The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) of 2010 identifies that State child protection systems should include interventions to prevent the occurrence and reoccurrence of child maltreatment. The Juvenile Protection Provisions of the Juvenile Court Act, describes the requirement of county social service agencies to provide reasonable efforts to prevent placement prior to the removal of any child from the home. Family poverty is cited as a central risk factor for child maltreatment. Vulnerability has an exponential relationship to risk exposure, and risk should not be considered as linear. Thus, families with multiple risk factors are at increased likelihood that abuse or neglect may occur within the household. It is necessary to maximize existing Mower County Health and Human Services (MCHHS) child welfare preventative programs. Existing programs include Healthy Families America, Healthy Beginnings, Maternal Child Health, the Family Facilitator program, Child Welfare Prenatal Exposure, Child Welfare Minor Parent, and Children’s Mental Health Case Management. Preventative services providing parenting education, addressing health related concerns (such as safety prevention, overall physical health, and reducing use of drugs/alcohol), and linking and referring families to community supports have demonstrated positive effects in research studies in reducing child maltreatment. If child maltreatment is reduced, children are safe in their family homes and then out of home placements in response to child safety concerns will be reduced. The State-County Results, Accountability, and Service Delivery Redesign Act identifies outcome standards. Evaluation plans are essential to measure individual program outcomes, ensuring standards are achieved
