S. 1160 — what changed

added “(5) maintain and disseminate, as appropriate, information that describes best practices for making appropriate referrals related to, and addressing, the health, mental health, and developmental needs of victims of child abuse or neglect;”

removed “(5) maintain and disseminate information that describes best practices for making appropriate referrals related to, and addressing, the physical, behavioral, mental health, and developmental needs of victims of child abuse or neglect;”

added “(F) effective approaches to interagency collaboration between the child welfare protection system, the juvenile justice system, and other relevant agencies engaged with children and families that improve the delivery of services and treatment (including related to domestic violence, mental health, or substance use disorders) for continuity of treatment plan and services as children transition between systems;”

added “(N) methods to address geographic, racial, and cultural disparities in the child welfare system, including a focus on access to services;

added “(O) evidence-based and evidence-informed programs to prevent child abuse and neglect in families that have not had contact with the child welfare system;”

added “(2) Content—The technical assistance under paragraph (1) shall be designed to, as applicable, promote best practices for addressing child abuse and neglect in families with complex needs, such as families who have experienced domestic violence, substance use disorders, and adverse childhood experiences.”

removed “(F) effective approaches to interagency collaboration between child welfare agencies, the juvenile justice authorities, and public health and mental health agencies that improve the delivery of services and treatment (including services and treatment related to domestic violence or mental health), which may include approaches relating to methods for continuity of treatment plan and services as children transition between systems;”

removed “(G) effective practices to leverage community-based resources to prevent child abuse and neglect, including resources regarding physical, behavioral, and mental health, substance use disorder, housing, parent support, financial assistance, early childhood development and learning, education, and other services to assist families;”

removed “(O) methods to address geographic, racial, and cultural equity and disparities in the child welfare system, including a focus on access to culturally appropriate family strengthening programs and activities that prevent child abuse and neglect;

removed “(P) evidence-based, evidence-informed, or promising practices or programs to prevent child abuse and neglect in families that have not had contact with the child welfare system;”

added “(E) ways to reduce geographic, racial, and cultural disparities in the child protection system, which may include engaging law enforcement, education, health, and other relevant systems in such efforts.”

removed “(E) various methods and procedures to reduce geographic, racial, and cultural disparities in the child welfare system, which may include engaging law enforcement, education, health, and other relevant systems in such efforts.”

removed “(N) for enabling Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations to provide services and programs that are adapted to the culture and context of the Tribal communities served.”

added “(D) training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development and the impact of child abuse and neglect, and the long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences; and

added “(E) training to improve coordination among child protective service agencies, entities providing health care services (including mental health and substance use disorder services), and community resources, for purposes of conducting evaluations related to substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect; and

added “(F) training regarding the links between child abuse and neglect and domestic violence, and approaches to working with families with mental health needs or substance use disorder;”

added “(7) a description of the criteria that the entity will use to—

added “(A) select and fund local programs, and how the lead entity will take into consideration the local program’s ability to—

added “(i) collaborate with other community-based organizations and service providers and engage in long-term and strategic planning with respect to community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect;

added “(ii) meaningfully partner with parents in the development, implementation, oversight, and evaluation of services;

added “(iii) reduce barriers to access to community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect, including for diverse, underserved, and at-risk populations; or

added “(B) develop or provide community-based and prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect, and provide a description of how such activities are evidence-based or evidence-informed;”

removed “(D) training in early childhood, child, and adolescent development and the impact of child abuse and neglect, and the long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences;

removed “(E) training regarding trauma-informed practices to mitigate the effects of trauma for infants, children, youth, and parents;

removed “(F) training to enhance linkages among child protective service agencies and entities providing physical, behavioral, and mental health services, and community resources, for purposes of conducting evaluations and providing services related to substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect; and

removed “(G) training regarding the links between child abuse and neglect and domestic violence, and comprehensive, trauma-informed approaches to working with families with substance use disorder or mental health issues;”

removed “(I) a memorandum of agreement between the State child welfare agency and the State agency responsible for administering such part, regarding the coordination of referral procedures, communication of the requirement for such referral to child welfare and early intervention staff at the local level, and guidance on local coordination between the those 2 agencies, both systemically and around individual cases;

removed “(II) training for local child welfare staff on the nature of developmental delays and disabilities, the prevalence of such delays and disabilities in infants and toddlers in the child welfare system, and the importance of early intervention services; and

removed “(III) a description of how data will be collected and reported on the percentage of infants and toddlers screened for developmental issues, referred for full evaluation (if screening is not performed by the agency providing early intervention services), determined to need early intervention services, and receiving such services.”

removed “(12) a description of the actions that the applicant entity will take to improve the mental health of children and families in order to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect, including through activities such as—

removed “(A) maternal depression screening and treatment, social-emotional screening for young children, evidence-based treatment for families with complex needs, trauma-focused and pro-attachment mental health models;

removed “(B) programs and services that address social determinants of health; and

removed “(C) programs and services that address intimate partner violence in child-serving settings; and”

removed “(v) referral to mental health services, which may include using infant and early childhood mental health evaluation and treatment services; and”

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5101 et seq.) is amended—

added “(5) the terms Indian, Indian Tribe, and Tribal organization have the meanings given the terms “Indian”, “Indian tribe”, and “tribal organization”, respectively, in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b);”