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Subcommittee Meetings Focus on Budget
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The S.C. House Ways and Means subcommittees will continue their budget work as the session's third week begins. Agency budget presentations will take place at these meetings throughout the week.
Recently Introduced Bills
H. 3524 - Reps. McCoy. S. Rivers and Bennett: Would expand list of mandated reporters for child abuse and neglect to include firefighters, camp counselors, scout leaders, school or college administrators, coaches and any other people whose duties require direct contact or supervision of children.
H. 3487 - Reps. Ridgeway, Govan, Duckworth, Hardee and Douglas: Would allow a parent or legal guardian of patient who is a child to request and revoke a do not resuscitate order for emergency services for the child.
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Children's Trust Begins Video Series Sharing Benefits of Home Visiting
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Children's Trust has launched a Facebook video series that highlights the importance of home visiting in South Carolina.
The series of 20 short videos, which are being released now through March, captures home visiting professionals telling their stories of why this program works. Children's Trust is this state's federal grantee and lead agency for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
Home visiting is a proven early-intervention strategy that pairs volunteer families with specialists who provide services throughout a child's first five years to improve health, development and early learning. Parents receive health care and parenting information through pediatric and home visits.
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Congressional Leader Affirms MIECHV Program
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The 115
th
Congress began its work earlier this month. Both the U.S. Senate
and House of Representatives
have released calendars when they will be in session and when they will be at home for state work.
Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), chair of House Ways and Means Committee, authored a blog outlining priorities of the committee. In the blog, he specifically mentions home visiting:
"W
e will advance evidence-based reforms to fund more programs that actually work, such as the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, which has delivered positive results for families by empowering parents to achieve better outcomes for themselves and their children.
"
Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina's 7th Congressional District sits on the Human Resources subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over MIECHV.
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S.C. Hospitals Are Leaders in Safe Sleep
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Lexington Medical Center has joined Newberry Memorial Hospital as a Certified Safe Sleep Leader in South Carolina. These two hospitals are placing South Carolina in the national spotlight for their commitment to best practices and education on infant safe sleep.
The National Safe Sleep Hospital Certification Program was started by Cribs for Kids, a Pittsburgh-based organization dedicated to preventing infant sleep-related deaths due to accidental suffocation. Hospitals must develop a safe sleep policy statement, train staff on American Academy of Pediatrics safe sleep practices, and educate parents on safe sleep habits. Due to the danger that loose blankets pose to an infant's life in the crib, hospitals must also replace all receiving blankets with safe sleep sacks.
Children's Trust, home to Safe Kids South Carolina and its safe sleep efforts, anticipates that other birthing hospitals will be achieving certification soon. The AAP guidelines promote the ABCs of safe sleep for infants - alone, on their backs and in a crib.
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New Federal Child Abuse Data Released
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Increases Occur in Three Areas
The report covers the 2014-2015 fiscal years and shows increases in three areas: numbers of referrals to CPS agencies alleging maltreatment (4.7 percent), number of referrals that CPS agencies accepted for investigation or alternative response (3.4 percent), and number of children who were the subject of an investigation or alternative response (3.0 percent).
South Carolina's profile starts on
page 226 of the report.
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Child Welfare Across the Nation
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California
: Programs Teach Kids of Trafficking Dangers
According to a story in the Times-Standard, a media outlet in northern California,
PROTECT (Prevention Organized to Educate Children on Trafficking) is a collaborative effort of law enforcement, government agencies, educational agencies and nonprofits focused on anti-trafficking efforts
to educate students in
fifth, seventh, ninth and 11th grades.
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Policy Post is published by Children's Trust of South Carolina.
Children's Trust of South Carolina is the only statewide organization focused on the prevention of child abuse, neglect and injury. The organization trains and educates professionals who work directly with families and also funds, supports and monitors proven prevention programs. Children's Trust is the voice for South Carolina's children and advocates for strong, well-founded policies that positively impact child well-being. Children's Trust is home to Prevent Child Abuse South Carolina, KIDS COUNT South Carolina and Safe Kids South Carolina.
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