When the President and Congress asked the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities (CECANF) to develop a national strategy to eliminate child maltreatment fatalities in 2014, we knew the task would not be easy. There was little in the way of evidence-based programs from which to learn. The myriad of policies at the federal, state and local level for defining, counting and addressing fatalities made the task all the more complicated.
However, as we concluded our two years of public hearings, study and deliberations on this issue, we felt that we identified some clear and attainable steps that, if taken, will provide both short term and long term solutions for protecting vulnerable children. As more states and the federal government begin to implement these recommendations, there is good reason to believe that more children’s lives can be saved.
Our strategy called for a new vision of a 21st century child welfare system. This reform requires a multidisciplinary, public health approach with shared accountability and a safety culture that draws from knowledge gained by other industries. And, we identified steps that CPS agencies can take today to save lives, including prioritizing children who are at increased risk of fatality, such as those with past CPS reports and those under the age of three.
Most importantly, the Commission agreed that as a nation we should not view child abuse and neglect fatalities as inevitable. Working collaboratively, we have the tools to save lives.
[For more of this story, written by David Sanders, go to https://chronicleofsocialchang...e-child-safety/25095]
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