Child Accountability Program and Transparency Act

CAPTA and its ancillary programs have never had any accountability or transparency, allowing for the trillion dollar pilfering of Medicaid and Social Security. Shift all programs to Medicaid. Medicaid has regulation. Introduce Medicaid legislation that will allow for the oversight of child welfare. Include a national central registry for grievances, start mandating competing cost for procurement and put child welfare agencies on the HHS OIG exclusion database. Lump it into one piece of legislation and call it Child Accountability Program and Transparency Act (CAPTA). Using the same name, it is sure to get through Congress.

Conn. Senator praised for introducing Abuse Prevention Act

SAN FRANCISCO, CA- Family Violence Prevention Fund President Esta Soler praises Conn. Senator Chris Dodd for introducing the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CAPTA) Act of 2010.

The (CAPTA) Act is the nation’s preeminent program for preventing child abuse. However its authorization expired in 2008. If passed, the updated legislation would improve programs which try to prevent child abuse and neglect and provide emergency shelter and counseling to victims of domestic violence. In addition, it would continue and update the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act, which funds domestic violence shelters and services; the National Domestic Violence Hotline; statewide prevention programs and provides other critically needed services. The legislation (S.3817) also includes new information to help children exposed to violence and better address dating violence.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 1,200 deaths and two million injuries to women from intimate partner violence each year. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that, on average, four or five women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends each day in this country. More than 15 million children in the United States are exposed to parental domestic violence and about 800,000 children experience abuse or neglect each year.

Domestic, dating and sexual violence and child abuse are problems of epidemic proportions in this country, endangering millions of people, according to Soler. The recession has meant that more families experiencing abuse are seeking help from the system because they lack resources to protect themselves, however states and localities are cutting back on funding due to lower revenues.

Now more than ever, the federal government needs to step up and ensure that vulnerable victims of violence can get the help they need, according to the Family Violence Prevention Fund. They thank Senator Dodd for championing this life-saving legislation, pointing out that it should be a high priority for both the Senate and the House of Representatives.