HR 6838: Emergency Funding for Child Protection Act

This legislation would provide additional support to the caseworkers who investigate cases of abuse and neglect, as well as strengthen the systems in place to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. S. 3660 provides $500 million for state grants and would increase the base formula amount from $50,000 to $1 million. This funding could be used to “expand the ability of caseworkers to conduct safe, remote and in-person, home visits and family visits to investigate and treat child abuse and neglect” and for “mental health consultation and services, including with infant-early childhood mental health providers.” The bill also provides $1 billion for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention grants (CBCAP), which would allow states, in part, to provide services to strengthen protective factors in families that prevent abuse and neglect, increase service uptake among populations most impacted by the pandemic, provide emergency supplies and services such as hotlines, and establish more accessible mobile service locations.