Division of Family & Children's Services

Mississippi Centralized Intake

1-800-222-8000 | (601) 432-4570
Reporting abuse, neglect and exploitation in the State of Mississippi
www.msabusehotline.com

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention

Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) programs should have some activities available to the general population such as public awareness and education about preventing child abuse and neglect. In addition, programs should also target services to vulnerable families that are at risk of abuse or neglect. These families include:

• Parents
• Parents and/or children with disabilities
• Racial and ethnic minorities
• Members of underserved or underrepresented groups
• Fathers

CBCAP programs are authorized to fund child abuse prevention programs in their service area that provide a multitude of services and supports. These services and programs can include:

• Comprehensive support for parents
• Promote the development of parenting skills
• Improve family access to formal and informal resources
• Support needs of parents with disabilities through respite or other activities
• Provide referrals for early health and development services
• Promote meaningful parent leadership

Programs can also finance the development of a continuum of preventive services through public-private partnerships, finance the start-up, maintenance, expansion, or redesign of child abuse prevention programs, maximize funding through leveraging funds, and finance public education activities that focus on the promotion of child abuse prevention.

The key federal legislation addressing prevention in child abuse and neglect is the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), which was originally enacted in 1974. This Act has been amended several times in the last 31 years and was most recently amended and reauthorized on June 25, 2003, by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003.

The Office of Child Abuse and Neglect (OCAN) at the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Families, United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS) is responsible for overseeing and managing the CBCAP program. OCAN provides support to the state lead agencies through the funds from the National Resource Center or FRIENDS, which is available to provide training and technical assistance to lead agencies based on the requirements of the CBCAP program.

Contact Information

Mississippi Department of Human Services
Division of Family & Children's Services
Administration/Prevention Unit
1-800-345-6347 | (601) 359-4255