Tuesday, December 4, the American Psychological Association (APA) and Partners for Children co-hosted the congressional briefings on Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in the House (a subsequent meeting was held on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in the Senate).  The panel included Missouri’s Nathan Ross of Foster Adopt Connect.

Child Abuse and neglect affects 1 in 8 children by age 18 with 7.4 million children being referred to Child Protective Services (CPS). About 3. 2 million are investigated, and over 2500 children die of child maltreatment each year in the U.S. The U.S. is the second leading developing country in the world with deaths from child abuse, according to UNICEF. Roughly 40 percent of children reported for suspected maltreatment are re-reported to child protective services and 20 percent are re-victimized.

The reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) presents an opportunity to leverage and strengthen innovative and effective approaches for preventing maltreatment occurrence and recurrence and is a top priority of U.S. House Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), who will be the incoming chair of the House education and Workforce Committee.