Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP)

Program Description

This program provides funding to States to develop, operate, expand, and enhance community-based, prevention-focused programs and activities designed to strengthen and support families to prevent child abuse and neglect. The program was reauthorized, amended and renamed as part of the CAPTA amendments in 2003. To receive these funds, the Governor must designate a lead agency to receive the funds and implement the program. Some of the core features of the program include:

• Federal, State, and private funds are blended and made available to community agencies for child abuse and neglect prevention activities and family support programs.
• An emphasis on promoting parent leadership and participation in the planning, implementation and evaluation of prevention programs.
• Interagency collaborations with public and private agencies in the States to form a child abuse prevention network to promote greater coordination of resources.
• Funds are used to support programs such as voluntary home visiting programs, parenting programs, family resource centers, respite and crisis care, parent mutual support, and other family support programs.
• An emphasis on promoting the increased use and high quality implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programs and practices.
• A focus on the continuum of evaluation approaches which use both qualitative and quantitative methods to assess the effectiveness of the funded programs and activities.

Statistics

• It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of families and children are served by CBCAP programs every year. This number does not include the other State residents in the general public who benefit from the child abuse prevention public awareness and education activities carried out by lead agencies every year.
• In FY2008, the Federal funds provided to the lead agencies leveraged over $322 million in State funds that were spent in the previous year for child abuse prevention related activities.

Budget Information

The program is funded at $41.7 million for FY 2008.

Program Highlights

• The program provides vital support for child abuse prevention activities and leadership for coordinating these efforts across public and private agencies in the States.
• Families that typically receive services are: low-income parents and young parents, caregivers, children and adults with minimal education levels, families living in urban and rural areas, families from all ethnic groups, families with adults and children with disabilities, and other vulnerable populations.
• For more information about the program and the State Lead Agencies, visit the FRIENDS National Resource Center for the CBCAP program website at: http://www.friendsnrc.org