APA PRESS RELEASE

July 9, 2009
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AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION APPLAUDS INOUYE BILL TO CURB CHILD NEGLECT AND ABUSE

APA's Report Spurs Important Legislation

WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association commended Sen. Daniel K. Inouye today for introducing a bill to help prevent the abuse and neglect of millions of children by implementing evidence-based behavioral health pilot programs at federally qualified community health centers.

Inouye, D-Hawaii, introduced the "Supporting Child Maltreatment Prevention Efforts in Community Health Centers Act of 2009" (S. 1404) in the Senate on Tuesday.

"This bill is a wonderful example of how science and government can come together to help the most vulnerable," said Gwendolyn Keita, PhD, APA's executive director for public interest. "APA will work very hard to help ensure that this bill makes it through the legislative process."

Child maltreatment is a serious public health problem in the United States. In 2007, an estimated 5.8 million children were victims of maltreatment and 1,760 children died as a result of abuse or neglect. Community health centers are the largest network of primary care for millions of mostly poor and underserved families, according to APA's report of the Working Group on Child Maltreatment Prevention in Community Health Centers. The report's recommendations include establishing universal access to evidence-based, preventive, positive parenting programs at community health centers for families of diverse backgrounds.

The seven-person working group reviewed four decades of research and interventions on child development and determined that severe child maltreatment can have lifelong effects -- but it can also be prevented by focusing on educating parents and promoting safe, stable, nurturing family environments. Pursuant to the group's findings, APA recommended that legislation be developed to support implementation of pilot programs at federally qualified health centers to promote universal access.

In a statement on the Senate floor Tuesday, Inouye said that focusing on prevention of child maltreatment through community health centers will help save billions of dollars that are currently spent annually -- due to victimization and injuries -- with hospitalization, emergency room visits, child protective services visits, investigations, incarcerations of abusers and other related costs.

"This bill will help address the critical need to help and protect our nation's children by giving their parents and caregivers the tools and skills they need to be become the best parents and caregivers they can be and to, ultimately, help prevent child abuse and neglect," Inouye said.

Among the bill's provisions:

• Implementation of pilot projects of evidence-based and promising parenting programs and services at a minimum of 10 federally qualified health centers;
• Universal access to a family-centered integrated and voluntary services model that prevents child maltreatment and promotes family well-being;
• Design and implementation of an evaluation plan to assess the impact and feasibility of the integrated services model at each health center;
• Inclusion of behavioral health specialists in the health centers to help deliver services that prevent child maltreatment and promote family well-being.

The bill has also been endorsed by the National Association of Community Health Centers.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.