Care2 member? Log in

Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes

Target: U.S. Congress
Sponsored by: American Humane Association

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was passed in 1974 because of increasing public awareness of the need to ensure the safety and welfare of children. CAPTA provides federal money to state and local communities like yours for programs and services to prevent abuse, protect children and strengthen families.

Each year, almost 1 million American children experience abuse and neglect. Of these children, 60 percent suffer neglect, 19 percent physical abuse, 10 percent sexual abuse, and 7 percent emotional maltreatment. All of these forms of abuse can have a lifelong psychological and physical impact on a child. And shockingly, approximately 1400 children are killed each year from abuse, most of whom are under the age of one.

Every five years, CAPTA gets reauthorized. This year it is up for review again. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds). We need your help to ensure these cuts do not affect the safety of children.

Please ask Congress to not only maintain current funding levels, but to increase funding to keep up with today's economy, so that all children can live in safe and healthy homes.

deadline: Ongoing...
goal: 30,000

21,093
signatures!

Sign Petition! see who signed this

Prefix

optional

First name

Last name

don't display my name

Country

Address

City

State

Province

Zip code Postal code

Tell Congress why you want programs to prevent child abuse.

	I agree to Care2's terms of service.
	We respect your privacy. Your email address is used to confirm your signature and is NOT displayed publicly.

Having problems signing this petition? Please let us know.

Dear [member of Congress],

I am writing to you today to ask for your support for increasing the budget for state grants, community-based prevention grants, and research grants supported by the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). Our nation's child welfare system is stretched beyond capacity to handle the full scope of the problem. Appropriate services for families and children who have been victimized by abuse or neglect are lacking, and insufficient funding has been allocated for the prevention of child maltreatment.

And now, I fear that this situation may only get worse. President Bush has already cut many important human service programs in this year's budget (including domestic violence and juvenile justice funds), and I strongly oppose cutting into budgets for child abuse services.

Our child protection system demands adequate investment. Continuing to do otherwise is far too costly. A 2003 study calculated the total costs of child abuse to exceed $87 billion annually -- $258 million dollars a day -- a figure that includes the immediate direct costs (such as law enforcement, medical treatment, child welfare services and foster care) and long-term indirect costs (including juvenile delinquency and crime, special education, and lost productivity).

Yet, according to the Urban Institute, out of more than $20 billion spent each year on child welfare in federal, state and local funds, states typically spend just between 10 and 15 percent on prevention and the protection of children. We have a spending gap in this country in services to prevent child abuse and to intervene on behalf of children known to the child protection system.
It would be good business sense if we invested our resources in child protection and prevention services the way we should.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. James J. Heckman has concluded in his research that "early childhood interventions of high quality have lasting effects on learning and motivation." An additional analysis conducted by Federal Reserve Bank economists recognizes that "investment in early childhood development yields an extraordinary return, far exceeding the return on most investments, private or public ... that are currently funded as economic development." And at a recent Senate hearing, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke noted "a significant return towards investing in young kids."

Preventing child abuse is cost effective. Putting dollars aside for prevention is sound investing, not luxury spending. We urge you to put together the resources to support preventive services and treatment services that can save us money in the long run.

It is crucial that Congress makes the protection of children a priority. Therefore I urge you to support increased funding for CAPTA.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

We signed the “Ensure Children Have Safe and Healthy Homes” petition!

# 21,050:

6:04 am PDT, Sep 1, Irene Humphries, United Kingdom
we all should have programs to prevent child abuse, at the end of the day the children are our future and we should protect them as much as we can so we should get every thing to protect them, wish that we had stronger laws here in the uk. so please please protect the children.

# 21,049:

3:26 pm PDT, Aug 31, Terricita Evanowski, Nevada

# 21,048:

3:12 pm PDT, Aug 31, Day Tor, Florida

# 21,047:

11:39 am PDT, Aug 31, Elizabeth Spawn, Minnesota

# 21,046:

10:50 am PDT, Aug 31, Ann Cawley, Missouri

# 21,045:

11:42 pm PDT, Aug 28, Akasha Eegenes, California

# 21,044:

5:59 am PDT, Aug 26, Lee Roessler, Pennsylvania

# 21,043:

5:38 am PDT, Aug 26, Kelly Kemp, California

# 21,042:

8:50 pm PDT, Aug 24, Alexandra Sipiora, Illinois

# 21,041:

8:31 am PDT, Aug 23, Suvra Anita Das, United Kingdom

# 21,040:

11:45 am PDT, Aug 22, Patricia Kummer, Illinois

# 21,039:

3:46 am PDT, Aug 22, Raw Rii, Arizona

# 21,038:

4:39 pm PDT, Aug 19, Jayne Riley, United Kingdom
Our children are the future, please protect them. It is our human right to do so. Abused today often results in abusers tomorrow, it is therefore, also, an economic investment to give this matter your urgent attention. Please don't make children pay for your war.

# 21,037:

4:25 pm PDT, Aug 19, Christine Gillen, Florida

# 21,036:

12:38 pm PDT, Aug 19, Thomas Needell, California

# 21,035:

10:42 am PDT, Aug 19, Lillie Van Scoy, Virginia

# 21,034:

9:10 am PDT, Aug 19, Kristi Schultz, Ohio

# 21,033:

11:21 am PDT, Aug 18, Angela Rhodes, Greece

# 21,032:

9:16 am PDT, Aug 18, Name not displayed, Florida

# 21,031:

10:37 am PDT, Aug 14, JENNIFER LUCERO, Kansas

# 21,030:

8:00 am PDT, Aug 14, Yohana Garcia, New York

# 21,029:

10:58 pm PDT, Aug 13, Kristina Werner, Michigan

# 21,028:

7:20 pm PDT, Aug 13, Valerie Plumlee, Arizona

# 21,027:

4:11 pm PDT, Aug 13, Tomi Edris, Colorado

# 21,026:

4:35 am PDT, Aug 11, EDWARD JANUS, Illinois
My name is Edward Janus. I am a Disability Advocate and Activist. My Campaign and Mission is Fighting for Persons With Disabilities, Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Making Our Voices Heard. Main Web Site: http://www.EdwardJanus.net. Sincerely, Edward Janus | Disability Advocate and Activist 10707 Wrightwood Ave. Northlake, IL. 60164 E-mails: EdwardJanus@msn.com EdwardJanus@EdwardJanus.net EdwardJanus.net Disability Online Network Services Web Site: www.EdwardJanus.net MSN Group: http://groups.msn.com/EdwardJanus MSN Blog: www.EdwardJanus.spaces.live.com My Care2: http://my.care2.com/edwardjanus

# 21,025:

12:32 pm PDT, Aug 10, Name not displayed, Montana

# 21,024:

1:20 am PDT, Aug 10, Maria Romano, New York

# 21,023:

2:35 pm PDT, Aug 9, Suzanne Preston, Virginia

# 21,022:

8:39 am PDT, Aug 9, Charlotte Samuels, California

# 21,021:

3:30 am PDT, Aug 8, Tereza Boreckova, Czech Republic

# 21,020:

12:56 pm PDT, Aug 6, Jane Maccri, Florida

# 21,019:

4:38 pm PDT, Aug 5, Linda Fuller, Washington

# 21,018:

4:21 pm PDT, Aug 5, Ladyanighnight Fisher, California

# 21,017:

4:06 pm PDT, Aug 5, Shelly ., Washington

# 21,016:

1:13 pm PDT, Aug 5, Emma Seaman, United Kingdom

# 21,015:

11:47 am PDT, Aug 4, Gabby Payne, New Mexico
this is very needed.

# 21,014:

5:15 pm PDT, Aug 3, Name not displayed, Maryland
I live in the DC metropolitan area, and volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate. It is only too obvious to me that there is an urgent need to increase funding for these services. Please act now to protect our most vulnerable population.

# 21,013:

2:16 pm PDT, Aug 3, Renee Evans, Utah

# 21,012:

1:16 am PDT, Aug 3, Jennifer Dutra, Georgia

# 21,011:

7:55 pm PDT, Aug 2, Thom Robinson, Florida

# 21,010:

6:32 am PDT, Aug 1, Name not displayed, Virginia

# 21,009:

2:53 am PDT, Aug 1, Ambre Nulph, Arkansas

# 21,008:

10:00 pm PDT, Jul 28, Fran Lucas, South Carolina

# 21,007:

7:24 pm PDT, Jul 28, Marina Payne, Oregon

# 21,006:

11:39 am PDT, Jul 26, Nick McGuire, Ohio

# 21,005:

11:13 am PDT, Jul 26, Andrea Alnwick, New York

# 21,004:

10:06 am PDT, Jul 26, Name not displayed, Washington

# 21,003:

4:37 pm PDT, Jul 25, Name not displayed, New York

# 21,002:

12:55 pm PDT, Jul 23, Esther Elizabeth Crompton, South Carolina

# 21,001:

10:02 am PDT, Jul 23, Rick Blair, California

View Signatures:
|<
<
21,097
21,050
21,000
20,950
...
150
100
50
>
>|