Missouri Children's Trust Fund

American Humane Association Releases New Publication

A new publication entitled A Common Bond: Maltreated Children and Animals in the Home- Guidelines for Practice and Policy is now available from The American Humane Association (AHA) . The free publication is intended as a resource for professionals working in the fields of child protective services and animal welfare.  Oftentimes child abuse, animal abuse and family violence co-occur.  This booklet provides a framework where individuals and agencies can work together to protect both children and their pets. A Common Bond is published by AHA in cooperation with The Humane Society of the United States, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and ACTION for Child Protection.  For a free printed copy of the booklet, send an email to info@americanhumane.org with "Common Bond" in the subject line or click here to view and print a pdf version.

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.

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.

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]

Pathways to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

A new resource entitled Pathways to the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect is available through the Pathways Mapping Initiative at Pathways to Outcomes. This site holds a wealth of findings to assist community coalitions, providers of support services, funders, and policymakers with improving the lives of children and families living in America's at-risk neighborhoods. Included is a broad collection of information about what works in social programs and policies to achieve desired results, including increased rates of children ready for school and higher numbers of economically successful families.  The Pathways Mapping Initiative draws from and builds upon a larger body of knowledge about what is working in other communities including best practices, theory of change, indicators of progress and successful benchmarks.

Other Pathway resources available include Pathway to Children Ready for School and Succeeding at Third Grade and Pathway to Successful Young Adulthood. 

Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development Available

The Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development produced by the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development is now available as a free online resource.  The Encyclopedia, intended primarily for policy-makers, service providers and parents, brings together articles written by internationally renowned experts on topics having to do with the psychosocial development of young children, from conception to the age of five. Each of the 33 topics addressed is explored from three perspectives: development, services and policies. Key points are summarized in a user friendly format that will be most useful to practitioners and planners.

NIJ Issues Report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

A special report on the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children was recently released by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).  This report explores research into the organization of the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), the effects of CSEC on victims, and what measures are being taken and can be taken in the future to prevent its occurrence. Research indicates that CSEC takes place at three levels: local exploitation by one or a few individuals, small regional networks involving multiple adults and children, and large national or international sex crime networks where children are traded and sold as commodities.

"Many children who become victims of commercial sexual exploitation have suffered from absent, negligent, or abusive parenting. A survey of adult prostitutes at an Atlanta jail, for example, revealed that nearly half had been sexually molested as children.  Carefully planned and evaluated child abuse prevention programs, better treatment of victims, and more attention focused on abusive households would help address the issues that can underlie CSEC." [Excerpt from report].  Current U.S. outreach programs are discussed as well as recommendations for future action.

Related websites:  Office of Justice Programs; US Department of Justice

Promoting Parent Success through Home Visitation

Childhood success begins with parenting at its best. This new practice/policy brief, Home Visiting:  Strengthening Families by Promoting Parenting Success from the Family Strengthening Policy Center, reports that home visiting is a prevention model that can have positive effects for families facing parenting and child-rearing challenges. (Author abstract)

Investing in Parents so Children and Youth Succeed

The National Human Services Assembly (NHSA) Family Strengthening Policy Center is pleased to announce the release of "The Parenting Imperative:  Investing in Parents So Children and Youth Succeed."

Parents are one of the most important influences in positive child and youth development, yet too many caregivers lack the support they need.  By strengthening parents' connections to resources, communities can help children thrive. To inform policy, practice, and civic initiatives, the brief explains what a “parenting success” strategy looks like and how it can strengthen families and communities. Community groups and family-serving agencies will find best practices and recommendations for how to maximize impact.  For funding agencies and policy makers, this brief focuses on creating conditions for communities to respond to the parenting imperative.

This brief is the 22nd in a series on Family Strengthening produced by NHSA.