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ISSUE 1: Decrease children entering CPS System
Too many children are abused and neglected in Texas while too few proven prevention programs are funded.
- Over 50,000 Texas children were confirmed abuse and neglect victims and 184 Texas children died due to abuse and neglect in 2003 alone. Based on research, the actual number is closer to 150K child abuse victims.
- In comparison to the low case estimated direct cost of over $34,000 per abused child, a proven prevention program, Healthy Families’ annual average cost is only $3,000 per family to prevent child abuse and neglect.
- Before the last legislature’s funding cuts for prevention, a miniscule 1,900 families received the most intensive Healthy Families services.
- States including Colorado, New York, Michigan and Pennsylvania have studied and realized the significant cost-benefit investment of in-home visitation programs.
RECOMMENDATION FOR ISSUE #1: Restore funding & investment in prevention program
DFPS must be adequately funded to reinstate and expand the most proven and effective early prevention programs such as:
- Comprehensive in-home visitation services, Parent education and support groups and self-protection programs for children.
- To make a measurable impact, prevention programs such as Healthy Families need to be offered to the approximate 120,000 Texas families that would screen at-risk of abusing their children.
- At a cost of $3,000 per family, this would amount to an investment of approximately $360 million in all funds. This investment would be cost-beneficial to the state within one to four years.
- The legislature’s cost-saving goal should be to shrink the need for a Child Protective Service System by investing in the family and its children with proven and cost-effective prevention programs before maltreatment is an issue.
- For every dollar we spend on treating victims, we could spend 7-9 cents to prevent victimization and we would save millions in dealing with the aftereffects of abuse and save lives and futures of children at risk.
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