Policy News and Information for South Carolina's Children
Policy Post
May 1, 2018
Child's Advocate Bill Passes House
S.805 Now Awaits Governor's Signature to Become Law
The bill proposing an Office of the Child’s Advocate, S.805 , authored by Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington), passed unanimously (107-0) out of the House last week.

It was shepherded through the House by Rep. Bruce Bannister (R-Greenville), and it now goes to Gov. Henry McMaster for his signature. Key advocates included Sen. Tom Young (R-Aiken) and Sen. Brad Hutto (D-Orangeburg), as well as Rep. Micah Caskey (R-Lexington) , Rep. Beth Bernstein (D-Richland), and Rep. Josh Putnam (R-Anderson) .

Government programs for children sometimes fail to protect the children they are intended to serve. With passage of this bill, lawmakers have created an OCA – which Children's Trust supported in this policy brief – to receive and investigate reports of such failures. This office will also help transform that information into improvements of public child-serving agencies.
Important Children's Legislation Makes Progress
Bills to Watch: Mandated Reporter and Safe Sleep
H.4705 passed the Senate, expanding mandated reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect. The House version added school administrators, coaches, and counselors, as well as individuals who present themselves as religious counselors. Internal reporting to a supervisor, rather than law enforcement, does not suffice, and duty to report is not superseded by an internal investigation within the institution. Reporters are mandated only when acting in their professional capacity. House and Senate versions of the bill will now be reconciled.

S.891 , which educates new parents about safe sleep and SIDS, was reported out favorably by the House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee. Having passed the Senate in March, the bill heads to the House floor for a vote this week.
Car Seat Check Highlights Child Passenger Safety
Children’s Trust hosted a car seat check and press conference on the State House grounds last week, celebrating the 2017 passage of H.3864 , one of the nation's most evidence-based, child-centric car seat laws.

The event featured Sen. Katrina Shealy (R-Lexington), Rep. Beth Bernstein (D-Richland), and Lexington police officer Steffonie Cockerill, a child passenger safety technician and instructor who won the Law Enforcement Technician of the Year at the 2017 Child Passenger Safety Summit.

They stressed that passage of the law was a major and long overdue accomplishment, but much work remains in educating caregivers about the new requirements, which focus on the height and weight of a child rather than age. Shealy and Bernstein were two of the lawmakers who strongly supported higher standards. The new law follows recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics. WOLO-TV provided this report on the event.
Committee on Children Annual Report Available
The Joint Citizens and Legislative Committee on Children has made its Annual Report available on its website. The Committee on Children identifies and researches issues related to children, provides information and recommendations to the governor and General Assembly on children's issues, offers recommendations for policy and legislation, and collaborates with child-serving state agencies.

The committee is also expected to release its annual statistics on the well-being of children in the near future. Data will include that nearly 700 children across South Children died in 2017, 400 of them under 12 months of age. Vehicle deaths remain the leading – and most preventable – cause of death for South Carolina children younger than 18 years of age.
Child Welfare Across the Nation
Home Visiting Programs Work for Socially High-Risk Families
Families identified by Child Protective Services as socially high-risk for child maltreatment are often assigned home visits. A new report in the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect demonstrated that at-risk families receiving the services saw a decreased likelihood of substantiations by Child Protective Services. “These results from a scaled-up statewide program highlight the potential of home visiting as an important approach to preventing child abuse and neglect,” wrote the authors of “Preventing Child Maltreatment."

Children's Trust administers the federal investment in home visiting for South Carolina – the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program . Home visiting specialists funded by our organization assist mothers and their young children with a wide range of issues – including health concerns, developmental milestones, safety environment, school preparedness, and economic self-sufficiency – during home visits and pediatric visits.
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.