With overwhelming bipartisan support, the Protect Our Kids Act of 2012 (H.R. 6655/S. 3705) received unanimous support in the Senate just before the 112th Congress adjourned last week, and passed the House of Representatives in December by a vote of 330-77.
Supported by the National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths, of which NASW is a member, the Protect Our Kids Act creates a bipartisan, two-year Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, consisting of 12 members who will be appointed by President Obama and Congressional leaders. The commission will work to evaluate current programs and prevention efforts, and recommend a comprehensive national strategy to reduce and prevent child abuse and neglect fatalities.
Joan Levy Zlotnik, PhD, ACSW, director of the NASW Foundation’s Social Work Policy Institute said, “The passage of this important bipartisan legislation acknowledges that too many children in our country die due to child abuse and neglect. The recommendations from the commission will help federal, state and local agencies understand more about prevention and intervention to better meet the needs of children and vulnerable families.
The National Association of Social Workers is also pleased that the recipient of its 2012 Public Elected Official of the Year Award, Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), was a key sponsor of the Protect Our Kids Act.
For more information:
Camp, Paulsen and Doggett Statements About Protect Our Kids Act of 2012 (January 3, 2013)
http://waysandmeans.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=316141
We Can Do Better: A Report on Child Abuse and Neglect Deaths in America (3rd Edition, August 2012)
http://www.everychildmatters.org/storage/documents/pdf/reports/can_report_august2012_final.pdf
Protect our Kids Act Introduced, NASW News (February 2012)
https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/news/2012/02/protect-our-kids.asp?back=yes
Government Accountability Office: Report on Child Fatalities from Maltreatment (July 2011)
http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-811T
