Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children


Children's Trust of South Carolina Policy Post

Policy Post
March 14, 2017
Bellamy to Testify on Success of Home Visiting to U.S. House Ways and Means Subcommittee
Congressional Members Examine Proven Method of Producing Positive Outcomes for Parents and Children


Eric Bellamy, the home visiting manager for Children's Trust of South Carolina, has been invited to testify before the U.S. House Ways and Means Human Resources subcommittee on reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
 
Bellamy, who will testify Wednesday, March 15 at 10 a.m., will present a state's perspective on MIECHV implementation and administration. This hearing is the official first step in the congressional process to reauthorize MIECHV, which expires in September. Bellamy's testimony will be live streamed.   

Children's Trust is South Carolina's federal grantee and lead agency for the MIECHV program since 2010.  
Budget Deliberations Get Underway in House
The S.C. House of Representatives will begin floor budget deliberations this week. 
 
The annual general appropriations bill, H. 3720, will fund state government for the 2017-18 fiscal year that begins July 1. There will be a live broadcast of the debate.
 
Senate Meetings
 
The Senate General Committee will take up a pair of child welfare-related bills, S. 447 and S. 448, in a subcommittee hearing Wednesday at 11 a.m. in the Gressette Building, Room 308.

The Senate Judiciary subcommittee will discuss S. 169, a bill on teen dating violence, Thursday at 9 a.m. in the Gressette Building, Room 105.
Children's Advocacy Day Set for April 4
The sixth annual Children's Advocacy Day will be held April 4 at 11:30 a.m. at the State House to ring in Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The S.C. Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, along with fellow child advocates Children's Trust and Silent Tears, are partnering for a press conference that will focus on the need for legislators, agencies and organizations to combat child abuse and neglect through prevention, treatment and prosecution.

Attorney General Alan Wilson, who has made a concerted push to prosecute child abuse cases, will be a featured speaker along with Kim Hamm, the executive director of the S.C. Network of Children's Advocacy Centers, and Sue Williams, the Children's Trust CEO.
Lawmakers Across the Country Debate Necessity Seat Belts on School Buses
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 19 states have introduced legislation requiring seat belts on school buses. A recent story on the Pew Charitable Trusts website outlines these efforts across the nation.
 
This is a substantial increase of proposed legislation that could be attributed to a 2015 federal recommendation. South Carolina has several related bills, including S. 32, H. 3027, H. 3061 and H. 3945.
Child Welfare Across the Nation
California: Child Welfare Involvement Linked to Increased Severity of Punishment for Youth, Study Finds

Among youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system, researchers determined that those who also were involved with the child welfare system were as much as 11 times more likely to be placed in a group home over those with no child welfare involvement. According to a recent story in the Chronicle of Social Change, the study utilized Los Angeles County administrative data to  examine linkages between gender, child welfare involvement and harsh juvenile justice sentencing.

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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.