Mary E. Case, M.D., St. Louis, and Suzanne McCune, St. Louis, were selected as the 2011 recipients of the Children’s Trust Fund Chair Award for their extensive volunteer work and technical assistance provided to CTF during the past 15 years.  Most notably, Case and McCune provided CTF with support in the areas of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) prevention and Safe Sleep/Safe Crib education resulting in very effective public education campaigns that have expanded over the years.  Dr. Case, Chief Medical Examiner for the St. Louis County Medical Examiner’s Office, and McCune, a Forensic Administrator with the same office, were instrumental in the production efforts of the original CTF SBS prevention video released in 2001, as well as the current DVD, which includes a chapter on Safe Sleep For Your Baby, released in October 2011.  Dr. Case appears in both DVDs.  Additionally, McCune helped to develop a safe crib grant program supported with CTF funds since the late 1990s.

The CTF Chair Award was established in 2002 by the late Richard “Dick” Dunn, former CTF Chair, as a way for the Board to recognize a person or organization for outstanding service to CTF.  The award recipient(s) shall have exhibited outstanding service, advocacy and volunteer work to or on behalf of CTF.  In January 2012, outgoing chair Patrice Mugg and CTF staff presented the award to Case and McCune in St. Louis.

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) recently announced the availability of its new DVD entitled Never Shake: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome and Safe Sleep for Your Baby.  The DVD is an updated version of the original Shaken Baby Prevention video released by CTF in 2001.  It will be distributed to all Missouri hospitals to incorporate into their newborn and childbirth programs. The DVD includes English and Spanish versions of the videos and was funded in part by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).  The DVD includes the most current information about the dangers of shaking and abusive head trauma.  The additional chapter on safe sleep provides information to prevent the ever increasing issue of infants dying in unsafe sleep environments.  The DVD will satisfy State Statute 191.748 RSMo that requires all delivering hospitals to offer information to new parents about the prevention of Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS).

The DVD will be available at no cost for Missouri hospitals, child care providers, home visitors, parent educators, health departments, safe crib programs, schools and other child serving agencies to use as an educational tool to share with new parents and other caregivers.  The videos will help increase awareness about how new parents and caregivers can keep children safe by gaining knowledge, reducing their stress levels and providing safe sleep areas.

DVDs may be ordered via the website or by contacting CTF at 573-751-5147 or ctf@oa.mo.gov.

Never Shake: Preventing Shaken Baby Syndrome

Safe Sleep for Your Baby

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) has released an application for funding to provide home visitation services in St. Louis city and surrounding counties. Home visiting for parents and their children, beginning prenatal or at birth, has been shown through extensive national research and experience to be an important and effective strategy to prevent a range of poor childhood health and developmental outcomes, including child abuse and neglect.  All services under this application must be conducted by Registered Nurses or qualified paraprofessionals under the supervision of a Registered Nurse.  To be considered, applications must be received in the CTF Office no later than noon (CDT) on Friday, September 23, 2011.  For questions, please contact CTF Program Coordinator Laura Malzner at (573) 751-6511 or by e-mail at laura.malzner@oa.mo.gov.   To download the application, click on one of the formats below.  Funding for these services is made possible by the Missouri Department of Social Services.

FY2012 CTF Application for Funding – Home Visitation Services (word)

FY2012 CTF Application for Funding – Home Visitation Services (PDF)

For the third year, Missouri Children’s Trust Fund is sponsoring the Family Fun Center at the Missouri State Fair, August 11-21, 2011.  The Family Fun Center features hands-on interactive play for kids age 2-10.  The air conditioned facility also has a baby changing and feeding area, with supplies provided by Walmart.

CTF Executive Director, Kirk Schreiber says the fair is a great place to meet and interact with families and spread important prevention messages:

AUDIO: Kirk Schreiber talks about sponsoring the Family Fun Center.

Schreiber says CTF is just one of the prevention agencies that uses the fair to get their messages out.

AUDIO: Kirk Schreiber talks about the importance of partnering with others.

In addition to CTF’s booth, the Family Fun Center will feature a hands-on interactive experience for kids, with an emphasis on agriculture play.  A play Farmers Market and Barnyard will be in the building along with lots of other creative play stations.

Advanced daily adult gate admission tickets to the Missouri State Fair are now available through Aug. 10 at all Missouri Break Time convenience stores, Orscheln Farm and Home and Casey’s General Stores. Visit the state fair’s website for more information.

Kids and Cars, a national nonprofit child safety organization, is promoting a new program to educate parents about how to protect their babies from being left alone in a vehicle. It’s called “Look Before You Lock.” Informational packets about the program will be given out by hospitals to parents after the birth of their baby.

“Educating new parents will help prevent tragic heat stroke deaths by giving them practical steps to jog their memory to take their children out of the car,” says Janette Fennell, founder and president of Kids and Cars.

One safety tip included in the packets is the memory device, BE SAFE:

Back seat – Put something in the back seat of your vehicle that requires you to open the back door every time you park
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.

Stuffed animal – Keep a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat. Place it on the front passenger seat as a reminder when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your babysitter or child care provider to call you if your child hasn’t arrived on time.
Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
Every time you park make it a routine to open the back door of your car to check that no one has been left behind.

The Partnership For Children (PFC), Kansas City, recently released the 18th Annual KIDS COUNT in Missouri Data Book documenting the status of  children in all 114 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.  The annual publication is a collaborative project of PFC, Office of Social and Economic Data Analysis (OSEDA) -University of Missouri, the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), and more than 20 public and private organizations from across the state.

The online resource provides information on measures of child well-being covering areas such as health, education, financial security, juvenile justice and child protection. The 2010 Data Book finds that during the most recent reporting period, Missouri made improvements in seven of the key KIDS COUNT indicators including a reduction in child abuse and neglect, infant mortality and the rate of children placed in foster or alternative care.  Three indicators were worse including low bith weight infants, high school drop-out rate and students enrolled in free and reduced lunch programs.

“Kids Count continues to be an excellent resource providing valuable information to individual counties and communities about successes, challenges and gaps with regard to children’s issues,” said CTF Executive Director Kirk Schreiber.  “Making this data so readily available and accessible on an annual basis helps policy makers, community and state leaders, child helping professionals, and each citizen to keep children and families a top priority as they plan for the future.”

Data for the report is compiled from more than 80 federal, state, county and municipal sources by OSEDA.  Primary funding for the project this year was provided by the Children’s Trust Fund.

KIDS COUNT News Release 7 6 11

Dr. Robert Harris is a member of the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Board of Directors.  He’s also a pediatrician at Tiger Pediatrics in Columbia, MO.  During a CTF Board meeting last October, Dr. Harris heard Whole Kids Outreach (WKO) Executive Director Sister Anne Francioni speak about her organization.  WKO, supported in part by a grant from CTF, works to meet the health and wellness needs of children in rural southeast Missouri through both home and center-based educational and health care programs. Since then Dr. Harris has made it part of  his mission to help kids in rural communities in Missouri. Dr. Harris was recently featured in the Columbia Missourian. Read the full article here.

Follow-up Story In Columbia Missourian 7/7/2011

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) is pleased to recognize Seargeant Wayne Rapier as the 2011 Richard P. Easter Award recipient. Sergeant Rapier is a thirty-six year veteran of the Rolla Police Department and has served as a Patrol Officer, Detective, Criminal Investigator, Evidence Custodian, D.A.R.E. Coordinator/Instructor and Police Explorer Advisor. He is currently the School Resource Officer for the Rolla Public School District. Sgt. Rapier received the award before his family, peers and other department members during the appreciation ceremony on Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at the Rolla Police Department.

AUDIO: Seargeant Rapier talks about his reaction to the award.

The CTF Board of Directors established this award in honor of the late Richard P. Easter, former Director of the State Technical Assistance Team (STAT), who is remembered for his commitment and leadership in promoting statewide prevention efforts to better protect Missouri’s children. Since 2000, CTF has presented the award each year to a distinguished law enforcement officer in Missouri for exemplary contributions to the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Seargeant Rapier says he’s seen a lot of progress in the area of prevention and protecting children during his career.

AUDIO: Seargeant Rapier expresses his appreciation for organizations that are helping kids.

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) welcomes Senator John T. Lamping (R – Ladue) and Representative Jill Schupp (D – Creve Coeur) to the Board of Directors.

Senator Lamping was recently appointed to the Board by President Pro Tem Robert Mayer.  A native of St. Louis, Senator Lamping earned a degree in Economics from Princeton University. After graduation, he moved to Manhattan and began work as a currency trader. He later obtained an MBA in Finance from New York University.   Senator Lamping works as the branch manager for a major St. Louis-based securities brokerage firm while remaining very active in his community. He has served as a member of the Finance Board and as Parish Council President for St. Alphonsus Church and as the treasurer for Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis.  Senator Lamping and his wife, Caryn, have six children – Rachel, Charlotte, Jackson, Dmitri, Emma and Shelby.

Representative Jill Schupp was also appointed during the legislative session by Speaker of the House Steven Tilley. Rep. Schupp represents Creve Coeur, Town and Country, Chesterfield, and a portion of unincorporated St. Louis County. In addition to her legislative duties, Schupp is active in her community and serves as a board member of the Crown Center for Senior Living Board and the St. Louis Crisis Nursery and is a former board member at Congregation Shaare Emeth. Prior to her election in 2008,   Schupp worked as an advertising executive for 20 years and worked for several years as an elementary school teacher. Schupp was named the 2008 Creve Coeur Citizen of the Year; she is a former board member of the Creve Coeur City Council, Ladue School Board, and the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis. A graduate of Parkway North Senior High School and the University of Missouri-Columbia, Schupp completed graduate course work and received her teaching certification from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Schupp and her husband, Mark, have two sons, Brandon and Alex.

The CTF Board of Directors is comprised of twenty-one members of whom seventeen public members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate.  In addition four members are from the Missouri Legislature, including two members from the Missouri Senate appointed by the President Pro Tem and two members from the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker.

On May 26, 2011, Missouri became the first state to implement a Missouri Customized Text4baby Program. Text4baby is a free mobile information service that provides timely maternal and child health text messages to pregnant women and new moms from pregnancy through the baby’s first year. The messages that are now delivered to women who have enrolled from Missouri are customized to include Missouri-specific telephone numbers, thus providing for easier access to services. Women can sign up for the service by texting BABY to the 511411 telephone number (or BEBE for Spanish). Messages focus on critical health topics including birth defects prevention, immunizations, mental health, child care, and other resources. For more information visit text4baby.org or call the Bureau of Genetics and Healthy Childhood at 1-800-877-6246.

As summer temperatures heat up quickly in Missouri, the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) reminds all parents and caretakers to never leave a child unattended in or around a vehicle. The interior of a vehicle can heat up to temperatures well over 100 degrees in just a few short minutes. But regardless of the temperature, children should NEVER be left alone in a vehicle because of other dangers and risks. A child left unattended in a vehicle even for a short time is in danger of dehydration, overheating, hyperthermia, injury, abduction and even death.

Kids and Cars urges parents to BESAFE by following these tips in order to avoid a record setting year for deaths like 2010:

Back seat – Put something in the back seat so you have to open the door when leaving the vehicle – cell, badge, handbag, etc.
Every child should be correctly restrained in the back seat.
Stuffed animal – Move it from the car seat to the front seat to remind you when your baby is in the back seat.
Ask your babysitter or child-care provider to call you within 10 minutes if your child hasn’t arrived on time.
Focus on driving – Avoid cell phone calls and texting while driving.
Every time you park your vehicle open the back door to make sure no one has been left behind.

To help spread this critical safety message, CTF offers several public education materials from our Not Even For A Minute Campaign (NEFAM). These are available at no cost in hard copy and download (pdf) and include a poster and rack card complete with helpful tips and reminders. The NEFAM Campaign also includes television and radio public service announcements:

AUDIO: Not Even for A Minute Radio Campaign

Randy and Lori Ross are from Blue Springs, Missouri. The couple was recently featured on Kansas City’s KMBC for their dedication to raising their 25 children. The Ross’ have 5 biological daughters and 20 adopted children. They say adoption has been their calling since shortly after they had their first daughter 26 years ago, Lori Ross heard a radio commercial about becoming a foster parent. Lori Ross is now the Executive Director of the Midwest Center for Foster Care and Adoption.

Read more about the Ross familly and see them in action here.

On April 29, 2011, President Barack Obama declared this May National Foster Care Month.  He says it is meant to, “…celebrate the selfless individuals who make a meaningful difference in their (foster children’s) lives.” 

Find out more about how you can become involved here.

The stigma attached to getting treatment for mental illness can be a major stumbling block.  A program called Mental Health First Aid has been built in part to reduce the stigma attached to mental health treatment. The long term impact is intended to provide safer environments for our children by allowing caregivers the freedom to seek the help they need.  Safer homes mean reduced risk of child abuse and neglect.

Dottie Millikin is the Director of Mental Health First Aid Missouri. She recently spoke at CTF’s Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Conference to introduce participants to the history and and evidence supporting Mental Health First Aid. In the following video Dottie talks about the potential that Mental Health First Aid has for helping families and entire communities. For more information, contact Dottie, or call 417-895-7887.

Robert H. Dugger, Ph.D. delivered the opening keynote at the Children’s Trust Fund Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention recently held in Jefferson City.  More than 275 providers, social workers, educators, and other child advocates were on hand to hear Dr. Dugger make the business case for investing in America’s children.  He is the founder and managing partner for the Hanover Investment Group, LLC, an Advisory Board Chair for the Partnership for America’s Economic Success and Chairman of the Invest in Kids Working Group.

Dr. Dugger says early childhood education has become a growing area of concern for investors, the business community and banking industry. Research has proven that before age five, children establish the building blocks of their academic and social skills.  By improving children’s lives in their earliest years, they are more likely to become a productive member of society.  Dr. Dugger says early investment will literally pay off for generations to come and is essential if the U.S. is to be globally competitive in the future.  He makes these and other informed points in the following video:

By Kirk Schreiber, Executive Director, Missouri Children’s Trust Fund

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Friday, April 15 is Go Blue Day.  On that day, thousands of Missourians will wear blue, the official color of prevention, to show their support for children.  Many other community events and activities are scheduled throughout the month to emphasize the importance of prevention.  Reducing child abuse & neglect, keeping children safe and making Missouri families stronger remain the top priorities of the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention.

AUDIO: Kirk Schreiber talks about Prevention Month as a reminder to keep up the work.

This year alone, CTF awarded over $2.6 million in non-general revenue funding and donations to support community-based prevention programs such as home visitation, safe crib, crisis nursery, teen mentoring, parent education, family support, protective factors that strengthen families and many other prevention initiatives.   CTF continued its Never Shake A Baby, Not Even For A Minute, Words Hurt and Parent with Patience public awareness campaigns. These programs  directly impact and benefit thousands of Missouri children and families.  Prevention is the key to keeping our children safe and building strong resilient families.  Prevention is the insurance policy for good health, mental health, crime reduction, educational and economic prosperity for our next generation.  Please consider investing in Missouri’s children by supporting prevention efforts and organizations in your community in April and throughout the year. Our future, and our children’s future, may very well  depend on it.

AUDIO: Kirk Schreiber talks about various ways to get involved with prevention.

By Patrice Mugg
, CTF Board Chair, 
Kirkwood, MO

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF), Missouri’s Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention, was the first State Income Tax Check-off in 1984.  This is the donation option given to each of us via our State tax returns.  Since CTF receives no general revenue, the money received through the check-off program remains an important source of donations.  Knowing we are the “Show-Me-State,” you may be wondering where these funds go and what they are doing to help Missouri families.

CTF uses the Tax check-off funding to support community-based organizations throughout the state that in turn support children and strengthen their families by incorporating five protective factors:

• Nurturing and Attachment:  A child’s early experience of being nurtured and developing a bond with his parents or other caring adult affects all aspects of behavior and development.
• Knowledge of Parenting and of Child and Youth Development:  Discipline is both more effective and more nurturing when parents know how to set and enforce limits and encourage appropriate behaviors based on the child’s age and level of development.
• Parental Resilience:  Parents who are emotionally resilient have a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, and effectively address challenges and deal with stress are less likely to direct anger, blame and frustration at their children.
• Social Connections:  Many parents often find themselves isolated. Trusted and caring family and friends provide emotional support to parents by offering encouragement and assistance in facing the daily challenges of raising a family.
• Concrete Supports for Parents:  Parents need basic resources such as food, clothing, housing, transportation and access to essential services to ensure the health and well being of their children.

Many of the community-based prevention programs that CTF supports include:  safe crib/safe sleep, crisis nurseries, home visitation, parent education, grandparent support, mentoring for teens, infant nurturing, as well as public awareness campaigns that address the dangers of shaking a baby, never leaving children unattended in vehicles, emotional abuse prevention, and parenting with patience.

You can help prevent child abuse and neglect by using the check-off box on your State tax return or making a tax deductible gift to CTF!  Taxpayers not eligible to receive a refund may also make a donation when filing.  Contact an accountant for additional information or visit www.ctf4kids.org to learn more.

As a former foster parent, adoptive parent and mother of four, it is imperative that we protect, nurture and support our future generation.  CTF and the children of Missouri thank you!

The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2010 is now available and highlights CTF prevention activities, events, grants and public education campaigns from July 2009 through June 2010.  During that time, CTF distributed nearly $2.5 million in prevention funding to support community-based programming such as home visitation, safe crib, crisis nursery, mentoring, Strengthening Families Initiative, parent education, family support and other prevention initiatives.  CTF continued its “Never Shake A Baby”, “Not Even For A Minute”, “Words Hurt” and “Parent with Patience” campaigns.  In its 27th year, CTF has distributed over $40 million in non-general revenue funds since its inception in 1983.

The news story that sparked the Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition into action in 2001 is making headlines again. In 1999, eight year old twin brothers, Larry and Gary Bass, died after suffering abuse from their mother and her boyfriend. Two of their siblings are now talking about the events that led to their brothers’ deaths and one is writing a book about it.

Watch the news story about Larry and Gary Bass here:  Siblings Open Up About Mother’s Torture Of Brothers – Kansas City News Story – KMBC Kansas City.

Because of the abuse suffered by the Bass twins, leaders at Kansas City’s only child abuse treatment center for young children, The Children’s Place, jumped into action to increase public education about child abuse.  Debby Howland and David Francis used their experience with The Children’s Place to convene a group of not only child abuse advocates, but elected officials.  That led to the formation of the Child Abuse Roundtable Coaltion in February 2001.

AUDIO: Debby Howland talks about the first roundtable meeting.

Howland says separate entities in the area made the realization that they all had the same goal, preventing child abuse and neglect.  As a group more is accomplished, and Kansas City is being recognized by other communities that want to implement similar programs of their own.

AUDIO: Debby Howland talks about bringing groups together.

David Francis has been involved with the coalition since the beginning.  He says it’s important that its work continues. 

AUDIO: David Francis talks about outcomes.

If you’re interested in getting involved with the Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition, contact The Children’s Place.

The Missouri Child Fatality Review Program’s 2009 Annual Report is now available. The report provides a statistical breakdown of child injuries and deaths both accidental and non-accidental by county and statewide.  It also contains helpful recommendations for keeping children safe and reducing the chances for injuries and/or fatalities from occurring.  Issued by the State Technical Assistance Team (STAT), Missouri Department of Social Services, the report provides information about Missouri’s Child Fatality Review Program and reflects the work of many dedicated professionals throughout the state who strive to improve and protect the lives of Missouri’s youngest citizens. 

Missouri Department of Social Services Director Ronald Levy says, “The identification of trends, spikes, and patterns of risks in child deaths allows us to share what we learn through education, prevention and deterrence, ensurring a safer environment for all Missouri Children and Families.” 

Find more information about the report and its findings here.

One easy way to help build strong, healthy families and keep children safe is to donate a portion of your Missouri tax refund to the Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) through the tax check-off program. A small donaton from you could make a big difference for Missouri’s kids. This program was created in 1983 as the original source of funding for CTF and was the first tax check-off in Missouri.

Your funds help provide programs throughout the state that focus on child abuse prevention and the support of children and their families. Just look for the handprints on your Missouri tax form and indicate the amount you would like to give, or for more information, contact your accountant. All donations are tax deductible. Together we CAN check-off child abuse. Thank you for your support!

• Public Service Announcement – Pawprints (Audio)
• Public Service Announcement – Sparky (Audio)
• Public Service Announcement – Sparky (Video)
• Tax Check-Off Flyer (PDF)

Missouri KidsFirst is offering a new resource for communities. It’s a toolkit designed to provide parenting tips and suggestions for bringing communities together to prevent the abuse and neglect of Missouri’s children.

Within the kit you’ll find a guide for parenting strategies through the various stages of childhood, techniques for teaching good bahavior, and tips for providing emotional support to family, friends and neighbors caring for children. Also, learn what to do if you believe a child has been or may be harmed.

Learn more about the toolkit by clicking here.

Register Now For CTF’s Statewide Prevention Conference!  Only $75 per person for the entire event!The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) invites you to participate in its statewide Small Wins=Big Victories child abuse & neglect  prevention conference  April 13-15, 2011 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Jefferson City.

This conference will cover a wide range of topics & presenters including Investing in Children, Economic Impact of CAN, Strengthening Families Protective Factors, Parent Support & Leadership, Effective Prevention Models, Grant Writing, Social Marketing, Period of Purple Crying & much, much more!

As part of this conference, please rally with us Wednesday, April 13 on the Capitol south lawn for the Pinwheels for Prevention opening session to celebrate April as child abuse prevention month!   Thank you to Missouri KidsFirst for taking the lead on this event and providing other planning & support for this conference.

Register online now for the conference or view/print the conference registration form & agenda.  Hotel reservations can be made by contacting the Capitol Plaza Hotel (800-338-8088) and must be made by March 12, 2011 to take advantage of the special room rate of $72.10.

As always, we appreciate your commitment to Strong Families, Safe Kids, and we hope to see you in April!  Thank you!

The latest information on Missouri Children’s Trust Fund’s General Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Grant Program has been made available.  This funding provides grants to community-based agencies and organizations throughout the state that focus on child abuse prevention and the support of children and their families.

2012 Grant Application (PDF) Note:  This link is no longer available.

2012 Grant Application (Word Document) Note:  This link is no longer available.

Find more information about CTF’s programs here.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released its annual report on child abuse and neglect. “Child Maltreatment 2009” marks the 20th issuance of the report and shows a steady decrease in the number of victims who suffered maltreatment for the third consecutive year.

Find the full report here.

Find additional resources here.

Save Havens are locations that allow mothers, or other caregivers, the ability to leave an unharmed newborn in a safe location with no questions asked, without the fear of prosecution. An editorial piece in the Kansas City Star recently highlighted the importance of providing information about Save Havens.  After conducting research at area hospitals, fire stations, ambulance and police stations, and county and city health departments in both Missouri and Kansas, child advocates found out just how much work needs to be done to help spread the word. 

Find the article here.

The Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition is working to make sure signs are posted in designated safe-haven sites to indicate they’re safe places to relinquish a newborn when staff’s on hand. The group is also bringing awareness through the United Way’s 2-1-1 resource hotline. The group’s coordinator, Debby Howland, recently spoke to KCUR about the goal of the coalition.  Find that interview here.

The General Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Grant Program Application for Funding will be released on Friday, January 14, 2011.  On January 18th, a pre-bid meeting will be held from 10 am – Noon in Room 492 of the Truman State Office Building.  The meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about the General Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention grant program and application process.  It is not necessary to RSVP.  The Truman Office Building is located at 301 W. High Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.

Learn more about our programs here.

Child Maltreatment 2008, an annual report from the Children’s Bureau, is now available online.  The report presents national and state statistics on child abuse and neglect derived from data collected by child protective services (CPS) agencies through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.

During 2008, an estimated 772,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect, less than the 794,000 reported in 2007 and 904,000 in 2006.  The report includes information on:

• The estimated 3.3 million referrals made to CPS agencies in 2008, involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6 million children;
• Fatalities that occurred as a result of maltreatment;
• Perpetrators of maltreatment; and
• Services to prevent maltreatment and to assist victims.

Data showed that consistent with prior years, the greatest proportion of children were neglected.  More than 71 percent of child victims suffered neglect while 15 percent of the victims suffered physical abuse and 9 percent sexual abuse.  Oftentimes a child victim suffers from multiple forms of maltreatment including psychological/emotional abuse.  Children in the age group of birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 21.7 per 1,000 children of the same age group in the national population.  More than one-half of the child victims were girls (51.3%) and 48.3 percent were boys. The report indicates that an estimated 1,740 children died due to child abuse or neglect during the reporting period.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has teamed with other child safety organizations to bring awareness about crib safety to new parents.  The group has created a set of safety guidelines to prevent injuries and death in cribs, bassinets and play yards. You can find a new crib safety video here. 

Follow these guidelines to create a safe sleep environment for your baby, and make sure all caregivers know them:

• Place infants to sleep on their backs
• Use a firm, tight-fitting mattress
• Never use extra padding, blankets or pillows under baby
• Remove pillows or thick comforters
• Do not use positioning devices – they are not necessary and can be deadly
• Regularly check cribs for loose, missing or broken parts or slats
• Do not try to fix a broken crib
• Place cribs or playpens away from windows and window covering cords to avoid fall and strangulation hazards
• Place baby monitor cords away from cribs or playpens to avoid strangulation

Read more about the new crib safety campaign, here.

The Children’s Trust Fund’s 2nd Annual Benefit Golf Tournament was held at Railwood Golf Course near Jefferson City on September 17.  The Jefferson City Probation & Parole Office District #27 hosted the event and welcomed the 23-team scramble.   Greg Hronick, Probation & Parole, said the tournament not only met expectations, but far exceeded them.

Audio: Greg Hronick – JC Probation & Parole

CTF appreciates the hard work and dedication of volunteers from JC Probation and Parole.  Hronick said the decision to work with CTF was an easy one. 

Audio: Greg Hronick on the decision to work with CTF

CTF thanks all those who sponsored, volunteered, donated an auction item or played golf and  looks forward to another successful tournament in 2011.

The Kansas City Police Department is host to the launch of an awareness campaign to help fight the abandonment of newborn babies.  Members of the Kansas City area health care community, law enforcement, fire departments and child advocacy groups are working together to promote Safe Haven For Newborns  (view flyers). The newly formed coaltion brings awareness to the public about state laws that allow a healthy and unharmed newborn baby (age specifications determined by state) to be left in the hands of staff at a fire station, ambulance station, police station or hospital without fear of prosecution.

Debby Howland of the Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition says the campaign is aimed at letting people know they have an alternative to abandoning a baby or keeping it in an abusive home.

Audio: Debby Howland on Public Awareness
Audio: Debby Howland on Missouri’s Law

Howland says part of the coalition’s goal is to ensure that all workers at Safe Haven locations understand the law no matter whether it’s an urban or rural area. A parent may need assistance in any area of the state and the law covers all of them.

Audio: Debby Howland on State Wide Effort

The Kansas City Child Abuse Roundtable Coalition is using Florida as an example how to run a successful program. In the last 10 years that Florida law has been in place, there have been 148 babies saved by the Safe Haven law there. For specific information on the laws in Missouri view the Safe Place for Newborns Act or dial either 2-1-1 or 866-320-5764.

Video: KCTV Coverage of the Campaign Kick-off

The Missouri Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (MO ICAC) ranks among the best in the nation for prosecution and prevention of online child exploitation. CTF Prevention Partner Missouri KidsFirst works with the MO ICAC to provide professional development and educational training on the issue of technology facilitated child exploitation. Missouri now ranks second in the nation for number of arrests related to Internet crimes against children, according to the Department of Justice’s review of 61 ICAC Task Force Units across the United States. The report includes several key statistics that prove Missouri’s Task Force is a success. Read the full report here.