NATIONAL CHILDREN'S ALLIANCE
Empowering local communities to serve child victims of abuse.
Joint Letter to Congress from NCA and its national partners
This Letter to Congress will be jointly signed by National Children's Alliance, Every Child Matters, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National District Attorneys Association and submitted on January 20, 2010.
LETTER TO CONGRESS:
Dear ___________________:
We hope you’ve had a chance to see our ad requesting your help in stopping the escalating number of child maltreatment deaths. Every Child Matters Education Fund and its partners — the National Association of Social Workers, the National Children’s Alliance, and the National District Attorneys Association — urge you to step forward and keep a bad situation from becoming worse by:
- holding high-visibility public hearings,
- providing emergency funds to stop state cuts in child protective services, and
- adopting a national strategy to end maltreatment deaths.
Did you know that nearly five children in America die every day from abuse and neglect? Every Child Matters released the enclosed report last October showing that 10,440 children died from abuse and neglect in their homes between 2001 and 2007. And those are official numbers; experts say the real figures may be 5,000 higher. The current economic downturn is sure to exact an even greater toll as millions of families face additional stress and state budget cuts further weaken a child protective system already stretched too thin (see the attached document, “The Growing Crisis in Child Protection.”).
As a nation, we know a great deal about preventing abuse and neglect and related fatalities. When provided with support services and appropriate supervision, the vast majority of potentially abusive and neglectful parents can learn to safely care for their children and families. Many abused children develop the resiliency to overcome the abuse they’ve sustained, but for others, these patterns of abuse will continue into the next generation.
Other rich democracies do much better. For example, the U.S. child abuse and neglect rate is triple Canada’s and eleven times Italy’s. What accounts for the difference? Generally, other advanced economies have adopted a wide range of health and social policies that are more supportive of young families.
It is imperative that we have a national strategy for combating maltreatment deaths and stopping abuse and neglect in the first place. State policies, spending, and outcomes are uneven. Child protection workers frequently lack the resources, training, and support they need. Only a national approach will overcome inadequate funding and less than robust social policies to protect families. Child abuse and neglect exacts a heavy toll—thousands killed, millions of lives ruined, and costs of more than $100 billion a year. We must do better.
Please work with us to end child abuse and neglect deaths.
Sincerely,
Every Child Matters Education Fund
National Children's Alliance
National Association of Social Workers
National District Attorneys Association
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Letter To Congress Information |
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