Every day, teachers, doctors and concerned citizens call child protection, expressing concerns about what they’ve observed or heard from a child.
Over half of these calls are immediately screened out because they don’t meet the statutory definition of child maltreatment. As a result, no further action is taken. Children wait for help. Often, help comes too late.
We realize the child protection system isn’t perfect. That’s why continuous improvement is so critical. We owe it to child victims to fix the areas of the system we know are broken.
On April 8, we have a chance to talk with legislators about opportunities for meaningful change. We’re strongly urging them to pass the following bills:
- Child Protection Advisory Council (Pinto/Mitchell) – Establishes an advisory council to review policies, laws and protocols of the system, enhance accountability and ensure the system has sufficient resources to operate as needed
- Mandated and Voluntary Reporter protections (Nash/Mitchell) – Eliminates policies in schools or other organizations that discourage reporters from calling child protection
- Child Mortality Review Panel (Pinto/Mitchell) – Establishes a multi-disciplinary panel to review child fatalities and increase transparency surrounding reports
We hope many of you will make plans to join us for our Day at the Capitol on April 8 from 1-4 p.m. If you can’t make it in person, we can schedule a virtual meeting that fits into your schedule. Your time commitment is minimal yet profoundly impactful.
If you’ve never met with your legislator, that’s okay. You don’t need to have a background in social services or medicine; you just need to have a heart for at-risk children. We’ll provide all the training you need.
Please plan to join us on April 8 either in person or virtually!