A Statement from the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and the Council on Accreditation on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Reauthorization Act of 2021

Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement from Jody Levison-Johnson, president and CEO of The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA) on the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment (CAPTA) Reauthorization Act of 2021 (S.1927).

“The Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation thanks Sens. Patty Murray and Richard Burr for their work to advance racial equity and promote primary prevention in the CAPTA reauthorization bill (S.1927), which was marked up yesterday in the Senate HELP Committee. This bill includes important tools for states and communities to help families overcome challenges and offers family strengthening supports that can help prevent maltreatment before it occurs. 

New focuses on trauma-informed approaches, minimizing racial bias and disparities in the child protective services system, alternative pathways to support families outside of child protection systems, data sharing across agencies to improve outcomes, engaging people with lived experience, and improving access for people who have experienced violence and/or trauma are all critical and transformative reforms. Additionally, we were pleased to see the public health approach to address fatalities from child abuse and neglect in the new Title III of this bill. 

This approach aligns with the central recommendation of the bipartisan federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities, which stressed that fatalities are not inevitable; they can be prevented with the right resources and knowledge in place. This bill brings needed resources and reforms that have the potential to play a critical role in transforming child welfare systems into child well-being systems. We stand ready to work with members of Congress to support its passage.”

About the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and Council on Accreditation (Alliance-COA)
The Alliance-COA and resulting new organization will convene and catalyze a dynamic, inclusive, multifaceted network of human/social services organizations that leverages the collective experience of the field and research to spark a current in the sector and drive continuous evolution and improvement. Our goal is to activate the power of the social sector and create a unified, intrepid, just, and purposeful network that propels our field forward so all people can thrive. The new organization will provide a range of offerings and learnings to actively shape the sector through policy, advocacy, knowledge exchange, certification, accreditation, connection, and ongoing iterative and reflective interactions.