Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) programs were established by Title II of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996. CAPTA has been amended several times and was last reauthorized on December 20, 2010, by the CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320). It was amended in 2015, 2016, and 2018, and most recently, certain provisions of the act were amended on January 7, 2019, by the Victims of Child Abuse Act Reauthorization Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-424).
Section 201(a) of CAPTA establishes the purposes of the CBCAP program include the following:
- “to support community-based efforts to develop, operate, expand, enhance, and coordinate initiatives, programs, and activities to prevent child abuse and neglect and to support the coordination of resources and activities to better strengthen and support families to reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect” and
- “to foster understanding, appreciation, and knowledge” of certain populations “in order to be effective in preventing and treating child abuse and neglect.”
To receive these funds, the Governor must designate a lead agency to receive the funds and implement the program. Some of the core features of the program include:
- Federal, State, and private funds are blended and made available to community agencies for child abuse and neglect prevention activities and family support programs.
- Promoting parent leadership and participation in the planning, implementation and evaluation of prevention programs.
- Interagency collaborations with public and private agencies in the States to form a child abuse prevention network to promote greater coordination of resources.
- Support for services such as voluntary home visiting programs, parenting programs, family resource centers, respite and crisis care, parent mutual support, and other family support programs.
- Promoting the increased use and high-quality implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices.
- Evaluation approaches which use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the funded programs and activities.
Section 203(a) requires one percent of the total CBCAP appropriation to be reserved “to make allotments to Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations and migrant programs” for the purpose established by Section 201(a) as stated above. These funds are awarded as discretionary grants.