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Safe Haven Bill Moves to Full Committee
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The Safe Haven bill, H. 3116, moves to full House Judiciary committee this week. The bill would change the age up to 1 year old at which a child could be left at an approved safe haven, such as a hospital, fire station, law enforcement agency or place of worship, without criminal liability. Current law allows children up to 60 days old to be relinquished to staff at approved safe haven locations.
A related bill, H. 3125, involving the temporary placement of children and requirement of a safety plan was amended to be renamed the Safe Children Act and received a unanimous favorable report from House Judiciary subcommittee.
The full Judiciary Committee agenda will include these bills and more in a meeting today in the Blatt Building, Room 516, at 2:30 p.m. or 90 minutes after the House adjourns.
In the Senate
The full Senate Judiciary Committee will take up several bills today at 11 a.m. in the Gressette Building, Room 308. That includes S. 170, which is related to coroners and medical examiners scheduling local child fatality review teams. The meeting will be broadcast live.
The Senate General Full Committee will meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. in the Gressette Building, Room 308, to hear bill S. 80, related to Child Advocacy Centers, which would require records released to the Department of Social Services to be accompanied by an order of protection issued by a magistrate or family court judge to ensure the confidentiality of the records.
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Car Seat Safety Check to Be Held at EdVenture
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In partnership with
Safe Kids South Carolina
,
EdVenture Children's Museum
and Kohl's
Buckle Buddies
, Children's Trust is hosting a car seat safety check Tuesday, March 14, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the EdVenture parking lot.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for children older than 1 year of age. Properly-installed child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers.
With nearly 90 percent of car seats in South Carolina used incorrectly, it's important for parents to have certified child passenger safety technicians check the fit and proper installation of their car seats.
More than 20 technicians and volunteers will staff this event, and parents can c
all 803-296-KIDS or register online for a time slot to get a car seat checked that day.
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South Carolina Lands at Bottom in Recent National Ranking for Education Among States
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U.S. News and World Report has published a
ranking of the best states for education as part of its Best States project. South Carolina ranked No. 50 on the list.
States were ranked on performance in higher education as well as primary and secondary schooling and pre-K education. Massachusetts, New Jersey and New Hampshire were ranked at the top.
In a Charleston
Post and Courier story, Melanie Barton, executive director of the state's Education Oversight Committee reacted to the low ranking.
"We are not getting kids out with the skills they need to be successful," she said. "We're not going to go back to an era where a high school diploma means a living wage."
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KIDS COUNT Data Shows Importance of Health Insurance to Families and Children
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New KIDS COUNT data released by the t
he Annie E. Casey Foundation details the impact of uninsured parents.
In 2015, 13 percent (109,000) of all South Carolina parents lacked health insurance. Nationally, the number is 12 percent (7,029,000.) This rate has improved steadily since the passing of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, when 18 percent of all parents lacked health insurance.
Across the United States, 11 million children live in families with uninsured parents. Research tells us that these children are less likely to have health insurance, which is a deficit that can negatively impact their development, overall well-being and education.
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Report Outlines Support of Community-Based Childhood Initiatives
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Child Trends, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the George Kaiser Family Foundation recently brought together practitioners, policymakers, business leaders, researchers, and philanthropists to figure out what makes for a successful community-based early childhood initiative that improves well-being.
The report, entitled Building our Future, includes information from those gatherings and examines case studies across the country to determine what is needed to create, sustain and grow early childhood community initiative.
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Child Welfare Across the Nation
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Nevada Bill Extends Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse
According to a Las Vegas Review-Journal story, survivors of child sexual abuse testified before a Nevada lawmakers to advocate on behalf of Assembly Bill 145, which would increase the statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years.
North Carolina Governor Releases Proposed State Budget
Gov. Roy Cooper has released a $23.5 billion budget for state fiscal year 2017-18 that would include $8.7 million to continue child welfare program improvements, according to an
Associated Press story.
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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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