Program Description
Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) programs were established by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996. CAPTA has been amended several times and was last reauthorized on December 20, 2010, by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320). It was amended in 2015, 2016, and 2018, and most recently, certain provisions of the act were amended on January 7, 2019, by the Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-424).
The purpose of the CBCAP program is:
- to support community-based efforts to develop, operate, expand, enhance, and coordinate initiatives, programs, and activities to prevent child abuse and neglect and to support the coordination of resources and activities to better strengthen and support families to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect; and
- to foster understanding, appreciation and knowledge of diverse populations in order to effectively prevent and treat child abuse and neglect.
To receive these funds, the Governor must designate a lead agency to receive the funds and implement the program. Some of the core features of the program include:
- Federal, State, and private funds are blended and made available to community agencies for child abuse and neglect prevention activities and family support programs.
- An emphasis on promoting parent leadership and participation in the planning, implementation and evaluation of prevention programs.
- Interagency collaborations with public and private agencies in the States to form a child abuse prevention network to promote greater coordination of resources.
- Funds are used to support programs such as voluntary home visiting programs, parenting programs, family resource centers, respite and crisis care, parent mutual support, and other family support programs.
- An emphasis on promoting the increased use and high quality implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices.
- A focus on the continuum of evaluation approaches which use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the funded programs and activities.
Programs can also finance the development of a continuum of preventive services through public-private partnerships, financing the start-up, maintenance, expansion, or redesign or child abuse prevention programs, maximizing funding through leveraging funds, and financing public education activities that focus on the promotion of child abuse prevention.
CBCAP Tribal and Migrant Discretionary Grant Program: The purpose of these grants is to provide financial support to selected Tribes, Tribal organizations, and migrant programs for child abuse prevention programs and activities that are consistent with the goals outlined by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). This legislation specifies that one percent of the available funding from Title II will be reserved to fund Tribes, Tribal organizations and migrant programs. The goal of the programs and activities supported by these funds is to prevent the occurrence or recurrence of abuse or neglect within the Tribal and migrant populations. The funds support more effective and comprehensive child abuse prevention activities and family support services that will enhance the lives and ensure the safety and well-being of migrant and Native American children and their families. Some examples of programs that are funded include parenting education and family support services. Grantees are strongly encouraged to implement evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices that reflect the unique cultural characteristics and needs of their communities. The funds must also be used to support an evaluation of the programs and services funded by the grant. Finally, programs funded should develop stronger linkages with the Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention Program (CBCAP) State Lead Agency funded under Title II of CAPTA.
These grantees have developed unique approaches to address child abuse and neglect prevention efforts in their communities. Each grantee has chosen a different evaluation approach, but they all share similar program outcomes. Some of these outcomes include increased knowledge of parenting skills, access to support services within the community, implementation fidelity, cultural competence, parental empowerment and development, and improvements in children's behavior in response to positive parenting. Dissemination efforts include a focus at the community, State, and national levels, providing information directly to service agencies and researchers through conference and workshop presentations.