Missouri Children's Trust Fund

2007 Kids Count Missouri Data Book Released

The 2007 Kids Count Missouri Data Book shows a number of positive changes for Missouri's children including an overall decrease in the rates of child abuse and neglect between 2002 and 2006.  The annual publication, issued by Citizens For Missouri's Children (CMC), is a collaborative project of more than 30 public and private organizations from across the state. The book provides information on measures of child well-being for the entire state, county by county, covering areas such as health, education, financial security, juvenile justice and child protection.  Data for the report is compiled from more than 80 federal, state, county and municipal sources by the Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) at the University of Missouri.  Primary funding for the project is provided by the Children's Trust Fund, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Health Care USA.

Prevention Month Packets Available

Free copies of Promoting Healthy Families in Your Community: 2008 Resource Packet are available from the Children's Trust Fund and online at Child Welfare Information Gateway.  The packet, made available by the Department of Health and Human Services - Children’s Bureau to prepare for Child Abuse Prevention Month - April 2008, is developed for service providers and others who work to promote healthy families and prevent child abuse and neglect.

National Prevention Conference in May

A national-level conference devoted to the prevention of child abuse and neglect will be held May 19-22, 2008, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  The conference entitled "Connecting the Dots - Turning Knowledge Into Action" and hosted by Prevent Child Abuse America, will focus on presenting a variety of evidence-based and innovative research and practices that can be useful to prevention and family support professionals including more than 90 workshops delivered by experts in areas such as effective prevention strategies and practices; research, knowledge and innovation; practical strategies for direct service provision; parent education and support; non-profit management, leadership and organizational culture; capacity building; and wellness. 

To take advantage of the earlybird registration rate, register by March 28th. 

New Ratings for Child Safety Seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced a new five star rating system to give parents help with determining which child safety seat to purchase.  In 2006, 670 kids under the age of seven died in car accidents. Federal officials say seven out of ten car seats in the U.S. are either the wrong size for the child, not installed properly, or used incorrectly. [KRCG-TV Online]

The announcement came one day before Evenflo Company Inc. stated it is implementing a voluntary safety recall for four models of its Discovery Infant Car Seat.  Tests by Evenflo and the NHTSA show that models 390, 391, 534, 552 of the car seat could potentially become separated from its base in high impact side collisions similar to those in the tests.  Evenflo is providing owners of the seat models a free supplemental dual-hook fastener to ensure that the seat remains attached.  To order the fastener, seat owners should call Evenflo at 1-800-356-2229 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST or visit http://www.evenflo.com/Discovery. 

Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect Staggering

An economic impact analysis released today estimates the costs of child abuse and neglect to the United States were nearly $104 billion last year, and a companion report highlights the unavailability of federal child welfare funding for programs and services known to be effective at reducing incidences of child abuse and neglect.

Missouri Child Fatality Review Program 2006 Annual Report Available

In 2006, 1,129 children died in Missouri, and of those, 79 children died as a result of child abuse/neglect.  These statistics and many others are contained within the report, Preventing Child Deaths in Missouri (pdf), which provides a statistical breakdown of child injuries and deaths.  The document includes helpful recommendations for keeping children safe and reducing the chances for injuries and/or fatalites from occurring.  The report, issued by the State Technical Assistance Team (STAT) within the Missouri Department of Social Services, reflects the work of many dedicated professionals throughout the state who strive to improve and protect the lives of Missouri's youngest citizens.  Printing for this document is paid in part by a grant from the Children's Trust Fund.

CTF Releases Annual Report

The Children's Trust Fund Annual Report (pdf) for Fiscal Year 2007 highlights CTF prevention activities, events, grants and public education campaigns.  From July 2006 through June 2007, CTF distributed nearly $2.8 million in prevention funding and directly served over 80,000 persons.  CTF funded community-based programs such as home visitation, safe crib, respite care, mentoring, family support and parent education, including infant nurturing, fatherhood and grandparent support.  CTF continued its "Never Shake A Baby" and "Not Even For A Minute" awareness campaigns, and introduced two new campaigns, "Words Hurt" targeting the emotional abuse of children, and "Parent with Patience", which focuses on realistic expectations of children.

Prevention Funds Available Through Annual Grant Application Process

The Children's Trust Fund (CTF) Board of Directors announces the availability of grant funds for child abuse/neglect prevention programs for state Fiscal Year 2009 (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009). Up to $300,000 is available for first year projects and up to $900,000 is available for renewal projects (those that are currently funded by CTF within the five-year grant cycle.) 

"These funds are available annually to support Missouri's children and families, and we are thrilled many prevention programs previously supported by CTF are being replicated in other parts of the state," said Gina Staves, CTF board chair.

CTF receives no general revenue funding, but funds all of its prevention activities, programs and public education campaigns with funds received from dedicated fees on marriage licenses, vital records, general donations, donations from the specialized CTF license plate, state income tax checkoff, interest from the fund, and a federal grant. 

"It's critical that we commit to our grant recipients for up to five years, provided they meet the grant requirements, so they can continue to provide essential prevention services and sustain themselves once CTF funding has ended," said Kirk Schreiber, CTF executive director.  During the final three years of funding the grantee is required to provide matching funds in increasing increments.

To be considered, applications must be postmarked on or before March 13, 2008.  For more information please contact Laura Malzner, CTF Program Coordinator, at (573) 751-5147 or laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov.

Download FY 2009 CTF General Prevention Grant Application (Word doc)
Download FY 2009 CTF General Prevention Grant Application (PDF)

Grant Funds Available to Assist Communities with Helping Kids and Families

The Children's Trust Fund (CTF) is pleased to announce the availability of Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) grant funds for fiscal year 2009 (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009).  CBCAP funding is a federal initiative that originates from the Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.  CTF is the designated lead agency to disburse this funding in Missouri.

The CBCAP project in Missouri is designed to help communities develop a model integrated system for delivering health, family support, and social services to children and families in order to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and ultimately reduce the risks of child abuse and neglect. Through incorporating a lead agency concept, each CBCAP site works to develop a more efficient and coordinated way of working with families to reduce duplication of existing services and maximize the resources of public and private providers. Community collaborations and partnerships are encouraged to apply.  As part of the funding requirements, each site must participate in a rigorous strategic planning and evaluation process.

According to Kirk Schreiber, CTF Executive Director, the Missouri CBCAP model offers community partnerships and provider networks an excellent opportunity to work together to provide coordinated services and support to children and families.  "This model has proven successful with previous community recipients, and we are very excited to offer these grant opportunities for a "third generation" of CBCAP communities."   

The Missouri CBCAP model is recognized by the federal funding agency as attaining the highest level of program standards and performance indicated by evidenced based outcomes and successful replication of the program in other communities.  Each CBCAP site continues to show statistically significant improvement in scores of standardized measures of family risk (Child Abuse Potential Inventory) and distress (Parental Stress Index) among parents participating.   Families also report high levels of satisfaction with the services they receive.

The deadline for submitting a CBCAP application is Friday, April 18, 2008, 5:00 p.m.  For more information please contact Laura Malzner, CTF Program Coordinator, at (573) 751-5147 or e-mail at laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov.

Download FY 2009 CBCAP Application (pdf)
Download FY 2009 CBCAP Application (Word doc)    

Highway Patrol Launches New Safety Program to Protect Children

Fourth graders at Blair Oaks Elementary School in Wardsville were the first students in the state to have ID's made as part of the Missouri State Highway Patrol's new safety program.  The program provides parents easy access to all of the information they may need if something happens to their child.   The ID includes photographs of the children, their height and weight, address, phone number, parents' names, birth date and a digitally scanned fingerprint.  The information is strictly for the ID card and is not saved or shared.

Last year about 8,000 children were reported missing across the state according to Kaverne McCullum, supervisor of the department's Missing Persons Unit. At the end of the year there were still 450 children considered missing, McCullum said. [Read more - Jefferson City News Tribune] [Link to Keeping Children Safe]