Taking Stock: The Plan to End Child Abuse Deaths, Five Years On

Nearly a decade ago, a coalition of national organizations including NCA began strategizing about how to end child abuse fatalities. We passed a bill that established a congressional commission, which issued a report in 2016. Now we're looking at the successes and challenges of that work. What's changed, or not, in five years? What about state reforms? Join us with Amy Harfeld from the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths and reporters Lia Russell and Caitlin Andrews.

Topics:

• 2016: The plan (1:45)
• Transparency (18:05)
• Public policy (23:56)
• Advice for CACs (28:00)
• A cluster of deaths (32:15)
• Another wave of reform? (48:09)

Links:

Amy C. Harfeld, JD, national policy advocate and senior staff attorney, Children's Advocacy Institute; coordinator, National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths

Caitlin Andrews and Lia Russell, investigative reporters, Bangor Daily News

Within Our Reach: A National Strategy to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, report from the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, March 17, 2016

State and local reforms

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act reauthorization

Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act

Family First Prevention Services Act

Maine ombudsman

“After a series of deaths, scrutiny starts again for Maine’s child welfare system,” Lia Russell, Bangor Daily News, June 26, 2021

“Legislative watchdog to probe issues raised by Maine child welfare ombudsman,” Caitlin Andrews, Bangor Daily News, August 11, 2021

Casey Family Programs

OPEGA

Visit us at NationalChildrensAlliance.org and OneInTenPodcast.org

Chapters

• 1:45 2016-2021: Trying to end fatalities
• 11:58 Maine: Are reforms working?
• 18:05 Good examples of transparency
• 23:56 Public policy
• 28:00 Advice for CACs
• 32:15 Maine: A cluster of fatalities
• 39:40 Were Maine reforms effective?
• 48:09 Will there be another wave of reform?
• 51:58 Next episode: Dr. Stephen Cozza