Recognizing that families have a greater chance to prosper when they live in a caring community, NCPCA advocates for policies and systems that protect children and strengthen families. Since our efforts are more successful when joined with the advocacy efforts of other child protection agencies, NCPCA collaborates with the National Child Abuse Coalition. This coalition, with a membership of more than 30 national organizations, works on the national level for legislation beneficial to children and their families. At the state and community levels, our chapters and affiliates join with coalition members to support state and local policies that protect families. In 1995, a special focus of the coalition's efforts was the reauthorization of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.
During 1995, NCPCA also monitored the various proposals to shift government funding of child abuse prevention efforts from the federal to state level, and provided the chapters with information about how these proposals might impact individual states, so that chapters could advocate for the best interests of children. Additionally, NCPCA provided chapters and HFA sites with timely information on upcoming legislation on numerous issues of child protection. And the entire NCPCA chapter network convened in the nation's capital to present a unified voice and to visit their respective Congressional representatives in supportof a national commitment to the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
As a means of expanding HFA across the states and maintaining these services over time, NCPCA assisted HFA efforts in securing public and private funding. NCPCA remained committed to securing long-term funding sources for HFA and continued to build diversified, stable funding mechanisms at the state level. As health care providers became increasingly concerned about releasing new mothers and their infants from care within 24 hours after delivery, NCPCA demonstrated the long-term benefits of home visitor services to monitor after-care. NCPCA began working with managed health care organizations to cover the initial family assessment for all new parents and possibly three or four home visits at particularly critical times for the family. This low cost approach could guarantee improved parenting skills and better health outcomes for all families.
Solutions originate on the state and national levels.
