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Administration for Children and Families US Department of Health and Human Services
 HHS News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, June 14, 2004
Contact: Chris Downing
ACF Press Office (202) 401-9215

Report Highlights Model for Protecting Children,
Underscores Importance of Flexible Federal Funds

HHS’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) has released a new report that highlights a model for protecting children from abuse and neglect, and underscores the importance of providing greater flexibility to states in the use of federal funding so that more can be done to prevent child abuse and neglect.

The report, entitled "Effect of the Nurse Family Partnership on Government Expenditures for Vulnerable First-Time Mothers and their Children,” found that a prenatal and infancy home visiting program by nurse-practitioners, called Nurse-Family Partnerships (NFPs), significantly reduces future instances of child abuse and neglect.

NFPs -- designed to improve outcomes of pregnancy, child's health and development and family economic self-sufficiency -- also reduce government expenditures associated with child abuse and neglect, including investigation, on-going services and foster care.

“Lowering instances of child abuse requires that we focus more attention on prevention. That’s why the President has asked for a doubling of funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, as well as a $1 billion increase in funding for the Safe and Stable Families program,” said Wade Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. “This new report provides one example of the types of prevention programs that we know can work.”

The new report builds on several previously published studies which include the first program trial in Elmira, New York, and subsequent trials in Memphis and Denver. The report also provides an assessment of the net costs of the program from the standpoint of government spending, following children from the time they were randomly assigned to intervention or non-intervention groups through their 15th year for children in Elmira, and through the children’s fourth year in Memphis and Denver.

The study found that positive results originally identified from the four year follow-up in Elmira persist through the children’s 15th year. It also found positive results at the four-year follow up for the Denver and Memphis sites, including:

In addition to funding increases for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and the Safe and Stable Families program, President Bush also has proposed a flexible spending option, which retains existing child protections and maintains a focus on positive outcomes.

Under this flexible spending option, interested states could choose to spend federal foster care funds on prevention initiatives.

To view this report, go to http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/effect_nursefam/nursefam_title.html.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at www.hhs.gov/news

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Last Updated: June 14, 2004