The Protect Our Children Committee Applauds Creation of Task Force on Child Protection

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Protect Our Children Committee (POCC) applauds the Pennsylvania General Assembly's creation of a bipartisan and bi-cameral Task Force on Child Protection.  POCC called for the creation of such Task Force in April, renewing that call in August and November.

In creating this inter-disciplinary Task Force, a strong and reassuring signal has been sent that Pennsylvania will be committed to intentional policy responses to all forms of child abuse.    

As crafted, this inter-disciplinary Task Force will serve to move Pennsylvania forward to better assure the protection and well-being of every Pennsylvania child. 

Senator Kim Ward sponsored Senate Resolution 250; Representatives Ron Marsico and Tom Caltagirone sponsored House Resolution 522.  Senator Ward and the Senate Aging and Youth Committee have recently convened two public hearings examining state laws and policies related to defining, identifying and reporting child abuse, and how these measures impact child safety, well-being, and permanency. 

Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2010 Child Maltreatment Report.  This data further illustrates the need for deliberative review of PA's child protection efforts. 

Last year, PA investigated suspected child abuse at a rate of 8.0 per 1,000 children as compared to the national rate of 40.0 per 1,000 children.  Our rate was followed by Hawaii at a rate of 16.5, followed by Minnesota at 18.1 per 1,000 children.  New Jersey's rate was 37.0, Ohio 33.8, and Virginia 35.1.  PA's rate of victimization (substantiated child abuse cases) was 1.3 per 1,000 children and the national rate was 9.2 per 1,000 children. 

Officially, "child abuse," as defined and measured by current state law, continues to decline.  However, physician-led research has raised serious questions about a disconnect between the official statistics and the actual incidences of child abuse and injury.  We look forward to the Task Force confronting this apparent disconnect.   

POCC is pleased that this Task Force will be entrusted with and expected to undertake a thorough and research-based examination of the critical front-end elements of protecting children in order to: 

• Address how child abuse is defined;
• Strengthen mandatory reporting laws (e.g., ensuring clarification about who should report, how such persons are trained and to whom such reports are to be made);
• Ensure dependable responses to child abuse reports, including at the state child abuse hotline;
• Improve the multiple paths to investigation and services for at-risk, abused children; and
• Increase and measure accountability.

POCC welcomes the decision requiring the majority of Task Force members be "knowledgeable and experienced" in child abuse issues, including those providing services to child victims.  We look forward to this intention being realized. 

SOURCE The Protect Our Children Committee