It’s never been easier to make your voice heard. All it takes is a few taps on a screen, clicks on a keyboard, or a message on your preferred social media platform to urge your elected officials to make a crucial investment in protecting our nation’s children. In many ways, it’s also never been more critical to let lawmakers know that it’s imperative that Congress appropriate $750 million for Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in fiscal year 2022.
What is CAPTA?
Created in 1974, CAPTA has provided funding to keep children safe and strengthen families through several initiatives. The federal law provides grants to states to support the prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment of child abuse and neglect, such as the primary prevention strategies at the heart of Title II (Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention [CBCAP] grants) to the identification and treatment of abuse and neglect in Title I (state grants).
Although the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed CAPTA reauthorization last year, it was unfortunately never considered on the Senate floor, and therefore, never passed into law by Congress.
Why is CBCAP especially important now?
Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grants enable states to provide several services to help prevent child abuse and strengthen families. Home visiting programs, parent support
programs, food, medication distribution, family resource centers, child care, coordination and connection with mental health, substance use, and domestic violence services are all made possible with this funding.
CBCAP represents the main federal investment in primary prevention for the entire country; however, it has been chronically under-funded. In 2020, CBCAP funded prevention at only 82 cents per child per year, resulting in a great deal of unmet need.
What’s more, the pandemic has created significant challenges for many parents and caregivers. Unemployment or decreased wages, housing, and food insecurity, and increased mental health issues have introduced additional stress to raising children for many people. The situation has made the need for services and supports funded by CAPTA more urgent than ever before.
Child abuse and neglect affects everyone
The repercussions of child abuse and neglect are far-reaching. For example, exposure to abuse early in life may result in toxic stress, affecting brain development and increasing the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder and learning, attention, and memory difficulties.
The consequences of child abuse and neglect also impact communities and society. Problems linked to child abuse and neglect tax healthcare, education, and the criminal justice systems.
The power of digital communication has transformed society. The pandemic illustrated the impact digital communication has on our lives as many people relied on it for work, school and shopping. Social media’s influence shapes politics, business, world culture, education, careers, innovation, and more.
We encourage you to use the power of digital communication—email, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram—to urge Congress to reauthorize CAPTA and include the significant funding increases necessary to provide states and communities with the resources they need. Specifically, we ask that you tell them it’s crucial to appropriate $750 million for Title II of CAPTA in fiscal year 2022.
Extend your digital outreach to your family, friends, and associates to inspire them to join the effort to protect all children and strengthen all families.
