Child Welfare League of America Releases 2001 Legislative Agenda

Child Welfare League of America
Monday, 26 February 2001

CWLA Executive Director Calls for More Federal Dollars to Protect Children

February 26, 2001, Washington, D.C. -- The Child Welfare League of America has released its 2001 Legislative Agenda, which focuses on expanding programs to combat child abuse and neglect and stop the victimization of children. The most recent data (1998) indicate that nearly three million children are reported as abused and neglected annually, and 1,000 die from abuse and neglect related incidents. Currently, almost 600,000 children are in foster care.

Shay Bilchik, CWLA Executive Director, said "The sad stories behind these numbers are of great concern to all Americans. We commend President Bush's commitment to leave no child behind, and urge the Administration and Congress to put new dollars into programs that protect children and strengthen families. Recent public opinion polls show that the public clearly wants additional investments in children and now is the time to respond seriously to their concerns."

The League's Legislative Agenda will be used by nearly 2,000 child advocates expected to attend its national conference in Washington, DC, March 7-9, as they visit their members of Congress. The agenda includes specific recommendations to improve child protection, adoption, foster care, and youth development services.

Established in 1920, CWLA has more than 1,150 public and voluntary member agencies who provide direct services to abused, neglected, abandoned, and otherwise vulnerable children and their families. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the organization is a leading advocate for quality child welfare services and federal legislation to benefit children and families, trains thousands of social workers and conducts numerous conferences and meetings each year, develops child abuse treatment and prevention standards, conducts research, and is the largest publisher of child welfare materials in North America.

For more information, or to contact Child Welfare League of America, see their website at: www.cwla.org