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On November 5, 2009, NASW submitted testimony in collaboration with the National Child Abuse Coalition, Washington, D.C., to the Subcommittee on Healthy Families and Communities, Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, regarding the reauthorization of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Congress has not yet introduced any legislation in the House or the Senate to reauthorize CAPTA. It is speculated that a bill may not emerge until next session as health care continues to dominate the legislative agenda.
The National Child Abuse Coalition, representing a collaboration of national organizations committed to strengthening the federal response to the protection of children and the prevention of child abuse and neglect, called on Congress to reauthorize the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) programs to provide the core federal policy and support for:
- strengthening the child protective services (CPS) infrastructure;
- promoting community-based services to prevent child maltreatment; and
- initiating research and development of innovative programs to advance the field of prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect.
Testimony highlighted key findings from NASW’s Workforce report, Assuring the Sufficiency of a Frontline Workforce: A National Study of Licensed Social Workers. The study warns of an impending shortage of social workers that threatens future services for all Americans, especially the most vulnerable among us, children and older adults.
