Advocacy & Legislative Affairs
Advocacy and Legislative Affairs
Why are we involved with advocacy and legislative affairs? Because children have no voice.
The CAP Center strives to build a statewide network of individuals, public
policymakers and collaborative agencies dedicated to preventing child abuse
and neglect in all its forms. We monitor public policy and endeavor to influence
public policy, programs, and practices that strengthen families and protect
children. We achieve this by regularly distributing information regarding
child abuse prevention initiatives, activities, legislation, and campaigns.
The CAP Center determines support of or opposition to state legislation
based upon staff research and analysis. Key factors considered include relevance
to the overall mission of the CAP Center and, specifically, alignment to the
concepts published in The
Blueprint, our Policy Platform developed through
the 2004 & 2005 Statewide Policy Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect
Prevention.
What You Can Do
The Child Abuse Prevention Center encourages everyone to make their voices heard. Calls to your legislator or letters of support on important legislation DO make a difference. To find out who your state legislators are please click here.
Political Endorsementsallow the CAP Center to further its message for the sole purpose of recognizing and publicly supporting candidates who understand the importance of child abuse and neglect prevention efforts and are committed to protecting California’s most vulnerable population – our children. Instituting an endorsement process and strategy is a critical component in organized child advocacy in Sacramento.
Across the state, grassroots child advocates work to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with their members of the California Legislature. Combining their efforts with the CAP Center’s official, public endorsement gives the CAP Center the chance to have a significant, meaningful impact on the political forces that affect abuse and neglect efforts across the state.
CAP Center Sponsored Legislation
PCA-CA’s 1st Bill Signed by Governor Schwarzenegger:
SB 1668 Becomes Law!
On September 30th, 2006, Governor Schwarzenegger signed SB 1668 (Bowen)
into law. This new law, was effective on January 1, 2007, amends section
11174.32 of the Penal Code relating to Child Death Review Teams. The law
was proposed by PCA CA in order to further the effective work of these county-level
teams.
The new law will require each Child Death Review Team to provide the public
with its findings, conclusions, and recommendations, including aggregate
statistical data on the incidences and causes of child deaths, on an annual
basis. There are no requirements for the format in which the information
is made public.
The new law will also protect the confidentiality of certain information
known to Child Death Review Teams. Specifically, the last names of deceased
children, and the full names of their siblings, shall be withheld from
the team’s reports unless those names have already been publicly disclosed
or are required to be disclosed by state law, federal law, or court order.
In addition, records already protected by state or federal law (such as
by HIPAA) will remain protected when in the hands of a Child Death Review
Team.
While the privacy protections in this bill are weaker than PCA CA originally
proposed, we believe that SB 1668 continues to be a positive step for Child
Death Review Teams, primarily because it will raise the profile of these
teams and the issue of child death. SB 1668 is the first bill which PCA
CA has ever sponsored and seen signed into law, making this a historic moment.
We thank all who have supported SB 1668 and look forward to many more successful
bills in the future!
 SB
1668 Bill 20060930 Chaptered |
| SB
468 and 825 SBS |
| SB
825 (Padilla) Shaken Baby Syndrome 2008 |
Federal Legislation
The CAP Center is home to Prevent Child Abuse California, a chapter of the Prevent Child Abuse America network. As a chapter of PCA America, we receive information and legislative alerts for federal legislation pertaining to child abuse and neglect prevention. Additionally, the CAP Center works with Voices for National Service for updated and alerts on all federal legislation relating to AmeriCorps.
| Working
Families Policy Summit - white paper with CWDA |
Kids’ Day at the Capitol
Kids’ Day at the Capitol, held every April on the west steps of the State Capitol, is an annual event presented by the CAP Center’s Prevent Child Abuse California and the California Department of Social Services in honor of children and Child Abuse Prevention Month (April).
This special event features free child friendly activities from face painting to fun with hula hoops. Kids’ Day also features over fifty community booths with information from car seat safety, nutrition, to fire prevention and more. The annual “Heroes for Kids’ Art Contest” displays California’s children’s art. This special day at the Capitol is open to the public at no cost and features top speakers to help honor Child Abuse Prevention Month and children.
Thousands of children and adults from California’s 58 counties attend this special event including leaders in education, law enforcement, business, health care, social services, prevention advocates and legislators. If you would like more information about Kids’ Day at the Capitol please contact dmole@thecapcenter.org.