A STATE CALL TO ACTION:
Working to End Child Abuse and Neglect in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Citizens for Children
April 2001

This report was made possible through a grant by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and its Kids Count initiative. Additional support was provided by the Frank Reed and Margaret Jane Peters Memorial, and by Mrs. Jane B. Cook.

Copyright © 2001 Massachusetts Citizens for Children.
Permission to reproduce portiions of this report is granted provided Massachusetts Citizens for Children - Kids Count is cited as the source.

The State Call To Action is available in book format. To order your copy, please send check or money order for $19.95 per book (made out to Massachusetts Citizens for Children) to:
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Call To Action home
• Forward
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Executive Summary
• Section I: Incidence and Impact of Abuse and Neglect on Children
  Chapter 1: Incidence and Prevalence
  
  • Who Are Thes Children?
  • Neglect
  • Physical Abuse
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Emotional Abuse
  Chapter 2: Impact of Abuse and Neglect on Child Development
  
  • Impact of Abuse and Neglect on Early Brain Development
  • Immediate and Long Term Behavioral Effects of Abuse and Neglect
  • Trauma and Learning
  • Resiliency and Early Intervention
• Section II: Key Causes and Links
  Chapter 3: Children Living in Homes With Domestic Violence
  
  • Co-occurrence of Child Abuse and Domestic Violence
  • Integrating Child Welfare and Domestic Violence in Massachusetts
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 4: Children Living With Parental Alcohol and Substance Abuse
  • Substance Abuse and Child Neglect, Physical Abuse, and Sexual Abuse
  • The Fiscal Burden
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 5: Children Living Without Homes
  • Homelessness and Child Neglect
  • Homelessness and Mental Health Problems
  • Homelessness and Educational Neglect
  • Homelessness and Substance Abuse
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• Section III: Protecting Our Children
  Chapter 6: The Child Protection System
  
  • A Brief Overview of the Massachusetts System
  • Conventional Child Protective Services
  Chapter 7: Multi-Tracking: A Differential Response System
  
  • Missouri's Dual-Track Approach
  • The Feceral Mandate: The Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA)
  • Proposal for a Multi-Track System for Massachusetts
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 8: Multidisciplinary Assessment: The Core of Effective Practice
  
  • Child Protection Teams of Florida
  • Massachusetts Teams
  • Sexual Abuse Investigative Network Teams (SAIN Teams)
  • Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs)
  • Hospital-based Child Protection Teams (CPTs)
  • Multidisciplinary Assessment Teams
  • Multidisciplinary Assessments and the Courts
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 9: Workforce and Workload: The Foundation of Quality Child Protection
  
  • Workforce and Workload
  • Salaries and Staff Turnover
  • Caseloads
  • Education, Recruitment and Training
  • Child Protective Services Training Institute
  • Licensing of Social Workers
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 10: Abused and Neglected Children in Foster Care
  
  • Multiple Placements
  • Foster Home Supply
  • Children Transitioning Out of Foster Care
  • Timeliness of Placements
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 11: Abused and Neglected Children and Adoption
  
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 12: Accountability in the Child Protection System
  
  • Citizen Review Panels
  • Professional Advisory Committee
  • Child Death Review Teams
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 13: Abused/Neglected Children and the Courts
  
  • Information Sharing Among Courts
  • Reporting of Child Abuse Allegations by the Courts
  • Guardians Ad Litem
  • Assessment Teams and the Courts
  • Court-Friendly Practices for Child Victim Witnesses
  • Judicial Training in Child Protection
  • Jeremy and Isaac
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• Section IV: Healing Our Children
  Chapter 14: Treatment and Intervention: The Essentials to Healing
  
  • The Mental Health Care Crisis in Massachusetts
  • Innovations in Trauma Treatment
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 15: The Role of Schools in the Life of the Traumatized Child
  
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
• Section V: Preventing the Hurt
  Chapter 16: Family Support: The Critical Paradign Shift
  
  • The Family Support Philosophy
  • Traditional Services and Family Support
  • Parental Involvement in Decision Making
  • The Effectiveness of Family Support
  • DSS Family Support Programs
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
  Chapter 17: Child Abuse Prevention: Within Our Reach
  
  • Other State-Based Prevention and Family Support Efforts
  • Prevention and Family Support in the Private Sector
  • Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention
  • Child Sexual Abuse Prevention and Treatment
• Section VI: Taking Action
  Chapter 18: Social and Fiscal Costs of Child Abuse and Its Consequences
  
  • Links between Abuse/Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency
  • Links between Child Abuse and Adult Disease
  • Links between Child Abuse/Neglect and Welfare Dependency
  • Fiscal Costs to our Nation
  Chapter 19: Options for Funding Reform
  
  • Potential Funding Sources
  Chapter 20: Next Steps
• Conclusion
• Endnotes
• Appendix A: The Summit Initiative on Child Protection and Family Support
• Appendix B: Summit Initiative Participants 1999-2001
• Appendix C: Unduplicated Counts of Reported Children by Incorporated City/Town during January 1 - December 31, 1997