Alabama
Alabama is one of eight states participating in the
Three Branch Institute’s technical assistance effort on child safety and strategies to eliminate child fatalities due to abuse and neglect. The Three Branch Institute was founded in 2009 as a partnership among the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Casey Family Programs, the National Center for State Courts, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. They will provide assistance to states in developing child fatality prevention plans that will be implemented by December 2017.
Alaska
Alaska is working with Eckerd Kids to implement
Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a unique process relying on real-time data analytics to flag high-risk child welfare cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching.
Arizona
Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community: Following several deaths, the tribal council conducted an in-depth, community-wide planning process that led to the launch of the Family Advocacy Center. The
Family Advocacy Center is a multidisciplinary, child-friendly, trauma-informed center for investigations that brings together child protective services, probation, police, education, prosecution, behavioral health, the fire department, and other agencies as needed. New technology enables referrals to be made online and viewed by a large circle of tribal child protection staff.
California
With a $300,000 grant from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, a team of researchers led by Emily Putnam-Hornstein, co-director of the Children’s Data Network at the University of Southern California, is building and testing adata analytics tool to help child abuse investigators gauge the risk of maltreatment when a report of child abuse or neglect is made. CDSS Deputy Director Greg Rose, who oversees the state’s foster care system, says that the state’s new predictive risk modeling project is designed to give social workers better information about past child welfare cases when they first field a call about child abuse and neglect.
Los Angeles County: With support from law enforcement and child protective services, the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) launched E-SCARS, the Electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report System. E-SCARS is a web-based system that allows rapid and secure electronic transmission of data and reports between agencies, including law enforcement and DCFS.
Los Angeles County: Los Angeles County is planning to review the last five years of child death and critical incident reports within the Department of Child and Family Services to determine risk factors for child fatality.
Monterey County: Monterey County is developing a countywide plan for child well-being informed by the commission’s report. First action steps in the plan include a change in the protocol used to verify reports to ensure that all calls are investigated, increase coordination on maltreatment fatalities with law enforcement, and require families to be present during interviews or doctor inspections.
Sacramento County: A blue ribbon commission organized in Sacramento County was charged with making recommendations to reduce the disproportionate number of African American children dying of maltreatment. The commission is currently working on an implementation plan that engages six Sacramento neighborhoods that account for the majority of deaths. Implementation will involve collaboration across family service systems, as well as community, family and youth participation.
San Diego County: The MITRE Corporation is working in partnership with the health and human services agency in San Diego County to develop data analytics for child welfare. MITRE is a nonprofit company that operates multiple federally funded research and development centers with a focus on safety science. MITRE’s mission is to advance and apply science, technology, systems engineering, and strategy to enable the government and the private sector to make better decisions and implement solutions to complex challenges of global and national significance. Recently, cities and states have begun to look at how MITRE’s work in patient and aviation safety might apply to the prevention of child abuse and neglect fatalities.
Colorado
El Paso County: Following a series of child fatalities, many involving military families, the local Child Protective Services agency, military and other key stakeholders initiated a countywide coalition, including law enforcement, the medical community, the fire department, faith-based leaders and more. The coalition launched the Not One More Child campaign to raise awareness and prevent child maltreatment fatalities.
Connecticut
Connecticut adopted the Strengthening Families practice model, which has family engagement at its foundation. By establishing a working partnership with families, caseworkers are better able to provide vital services and supports, such as mental health and substance abuse treatment. By including relatives and noncustodial parents in that engagement, they also ensure that both the child’s and the family’s voices are heard throughout every stage of the child welfare process.
Connecticut is working with Eckerd Kids to implement Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a real-time data analytics tool to flag high-risk child welfare cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching.
Florida
SAS, a predictive analytics firm, delivered a report to Florida’s Department of Children and Families featuring a child abuse prediction algorithm focused on adult abusers rather than children at risk.
Hillsborough County: Florida’s Hillsborough County was one of the first in the nation to adopt Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a real-time data analytics tool to flag high-risk cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching. Eckerd analyzed data from 1,500 open cases in Hillsborough County in which children were abused or neglected. From that data emerged a profile of cases with the highest probability of serious injury or death. The research also identified child welfare practice skills critical to keeping kids in this high-risk category safe, including the importance of home visits.
Illinois
Illinois is working with Eckerd Kids to implement Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a real-time data analytics tool to flag high-risk child welfare cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching.
Indiana
Indiana’s Department of Child Services changed its assessment policies statewide to assess all children for any report of child abuse or neglect before their third birthday, with support from home-visiting programs.
Indiana is working with Eckerd Kids to implement Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a real-time data analytics tool to flag high-risk child welfare cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching.
Kansas
Wichita: In response to an increase in child maltreatment fatalities, the Wichita Children's Home and Prevent Child Abuse Kansas pulled together a citywide summit and launched the Wichita Coalition for Child Abuse Prevention. The coalition, with the support of facilitators from Wichita State University, has engaged more than 60 partners to reinforce existing interventions and develop new preventive services.
Kentucky
Kentucky is one of eight states participating in the Three Branch Institute’s technical assistance effort on child safety and strategies to eliminate child fatalities due to abuse and neglect. The Three Branch Institute was founded in 2009 as a partnership among the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Casey Family Programs, the National Center for State Courts, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. They will provide assistance to states in developing child fatality prevention plans that will be implemented by December 2017.
In 2016, Kentucky established an independent panel of medical, legal, and social work experts who meet regularly to examine suspicious child fatality and near-fatality cases statewide. The Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel publishes a report by Dec. 1 each year consisting of case reviews, findings and recommendations for system and process improvements to help prevent child fatalities and near fatalities that are due to abuse and neglect.
Maine
Maine is working with Eckerd Kids to implement Eckerd Rapid Safety Feedback®, a real-time data analytics tool to flag high-risk child welfare cases for intensive monitoring and caseworker coaching.
Maryland
Maryland is one of eight states participating in the Three Branch Institute’s technical assistance effort on child safety and strategies to eliminate child fatalities due to abuse and neglect. The Three Branch Institute was founded in 2009 as a partnership among the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, Casey Family Programs, the National Center for State Courts, and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. They will provide assistance to states in developing child fatality prevention plans that will be implemented by December 2017.
Prince George’s County: In response to growing numbers of child maltreatment fatalities linked to paramours, Prince George’s County launched a child safety awareness campaign that asks parents, “Do you know who is watching your children?” The campaign provides information about child care resources and how to screen potential caregivers.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Children and Families announced a series of reforms following an uptick in child deaths. Those reforms included increased staffing and new supervisory policies. Since implementation, child maltreatment fatalities have declined.
Michigan
In response to an increase in substance-exposed infants, state Sen. Rick Jones drafted a bill to compel child protective services to automatically open a case for services for at least 90 days when a baby is born with an illegal drug in its system. He plans to introduce the bill in early 2017.
When researchers determined that racism had been institutionalized in the child welfare system, the Michigan Race Equity Coalition was established with state and local leadership teams. The coalition disseminated a report and provided cultural competence training for child welfare workers and law enforcement personnel.
Minnesota
Hennepin County: Following a string of child deaths, Casey Family Programs was asked to assess Hennepin County's child protection system. The 2015 Casey report found, among other things, that 10 percent of the county’s maltreated children experienced further abuse within a year, compared to 5 percent statewide. The report made 23 recommendations. Hennepin County now wants to launch a $26 million program to prevent abuse rather than waiting to act until after it occurs. The money will be spent on additional staff to reduce child protection caseloads, more staff for an outreach program that helps connect parents with the right services, a new child well-being director to head up the initiative and a new "transformation team."
St. Louis County: Established the Indian Child Welfare Court in 2015 as a way to offer a better, more culturally sensitive experience to Native American families moving through the legal system. The goal of the court is to address disparity in the number of Native American children placed in foster care and seek family reunification when possible or placement with Native American foster families when out-of-home care is required.
Mississippi
Rep. Richard Bennett (R-Long Beach) introduced three bills, House Bill 1210, House Bill 1233 and House Bill 1211, in response to an investigative series in the Sun Herald titled “Fostering Secrets.” HB 1210 would amend the youth court confidentiality statute, Section 43-21-261, and require youth courts to provide copies of child welfare case records to the child’s parent or guardian. A similar measure, HB 1233, would amend the statute to give the media access to youth court records for any case in which a child abuse or neglect allegation has been made; however, any identifying information concerning the child would be redacted from the records prior to release. HB 1211 would transfer appointment of power over prosecutors from youth court judges to district attorneys to remove any potential for bias by the judge or prosecutor.