(Sec. 102) Requires the Secretary, through the national clearinghouse for information relating to child abuse, to collect and disseminate information that describes best practices being used throughout the Nation for making appropriate referrals related to, and addressing the physical, developmental, and mental health needs of abused and neglected children.
(Sec. 103) Requires the Secretary to provide technical assistance to agencies and organizations in replicating successful child abuse prevention and treatment program models. Authorizes the Secretary to evaluate or identify effective approaches being utilized to link child protective services agencies with health care, mental health care, and developmental services to improve forensic diagnosis, health evaluations, and barriers and shortages to such linkages.
(Sec. 104) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants for training: (1) to support the enhancement of linkages between child protective service agencies and health care agencies to improve forensic diagnosis and health evaluations; (2) personnel in best practices to promote collaboration with the families from the initial time of contact during the investigation through treatment; and (3) personnel regarding legal duties.
Authorizes the Secretary to award child abuse prevention and treatment innovation demonstration grants to community-based organizations, national entities, and other specified public and private agencies.
Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to entities that provide linkages between State or local child protective service agencies and public health, mental health, and developmental disabilities agencies, for the purpose of establishing linkages designed to help assure that a greater number of substantiated victims of child maltreatment have their physical health, mental health, and developmental needs appropriately diagnosed and treated. Authorizes the use of grants and contracts for programs based within children's hospitals, or other pediatric and adolescent care facilities, that provide model approaches for improving medical diagnosis of child abuse and neglect and for health evaluations of children for whom a report of maltreatment has been substantiated.
(Sec. 105) Requires the Secretary to make grants to assist the States in improving their child protective services systems to: (1) support their ability to collect information for the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System; (2) develop training regarding the best practices to promote collaboration with the families; (3) improve the skills, qualifications, and availability of individuals providing services to children and families, and their supervisors, through the child protection system, including improvements in the recruitment and retention of caseworkers; (4) develop and deliver information to improve public education relating to the child protection system and the nature and basis for reporting suspected incidents of child abuse and neglect; (5) promote partnerships between public agencies and community-based organizations to provide child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment services; (6) support and enhance interagency collaboration between the child protection system and the juvenile justice system for improved services and treatment; and (7) support and enhance collaboration among public health agencies, the child protection system, and private community-based programs to address the health needs of abused or neglected children.
Requires States to notify the Secretary of any: (1) substantive changes to State law that may affect eligibility; and (2) significant changes to the use of provided funds to support activities which may differ from the activities as described in the current State application.
Requires that a State plan be coordinated and certified to include: (1) policies and procedures to address the needs of infants born and identified with fetal alcohol effects, fetal alcohol syndrome, neonatal intoxication or withdrawal syndrome, or neonatal physical or neurological harm resulting from prenatal drug exposure; (2) a requirement that the State disclose confidential information to any appropriate Federal, State, or local government entity in order to carry out its responsibilities under law to protect children from abuse and neglect; (3) requirements and procedures for a representative of the child protective services agency to advise an individual subject to a child abuse and neglect investigation of the complaints or allegations in a manner consistent with the laws protecting the rights of the informant; (4) provisions addressing the legal duty training of representatives of the child protective services system; (5) provisions and procedures for improving the training, retention, and supervision of caseworkers; and (6) provisions and procedures for referral to the statewide early intervention program of a child under age three who is involved in a substantiated case of child abuse or neglect.
Requires Citizen Review Panels to provide for public outreach and comment in order to assess the impact of current procedures and practices upon children and families in the community. Requires State annual reports to include the number of children under the care of the State child protection system transferred into the custody of the State juvenile justice system.
(Sec. 106) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to assist States to develop and operate programs for handling cases involving children with disabilities or serious health-related problems who are victims of abuse or neglect.
(Sec. 107) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary should encourage all States and public and private agencies or organizations that receive assistance to ensure that children and families with limited English proficiency participating in programs under such Act are provided materials and services in an appropriate language other than English.
(Sec. 108) Requires the Secretary to conduct a study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness of citizen review panels.
(Sec. 109) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2007.
(Sec. 111) Revises requirements for the formula community-based family resource grant program to emphasize family support programs for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
(Sec. 114) Repeals the grandfather exemption allowing continued funding under the same terms for grants under specified programs existing before enactment of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act Amendments of 1996.
(Sec. 116) Requires local programs receiving grants to provide for respite care, home visiting, and family support services.
(Sec. 117) Revises requirements for performance measures and the national network for community-based family resource programs.
(Sec. 120) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2007.
Subtitle B: Amendments to Other Child Abuse Prevention and Related Programs - Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment and Adoption Reform Act of 1978 to direct the Secretary to research and report to the appropriate congressional committees about adoption outcomes and the factors affecting them.
(Sec. 134) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2007.
(Sec. 142) Amends the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act of 1988 to require the applicant for a local program demonstration grant, with respect to the abandonment of infants and young children in hospitals, to agree to give priority to abandoned infants and young children who are infected with, or have been perinatally exposed to, the human immunodeficiency virus, have a life-threatening illness, other special medical needs, or have been perinatally exposed to a dangerous drug.
(Sec. 143) Requires the Secretary to provide for evaluations of projects and for the dissemination of information developed as a result of them.
Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress with respect to: (1) an estimate of infants and young children relinquished, abandoned, or found dead in the United States and the number of them infected with human immunodeficiency virus, perinatally exposed to the virus or dangerous drugs, have life threatening illnesses, or other special medical needs; (2) an estimate of the annual number of infants and young children who are victims of homicide; (3) characteristics and demographics of parents who have abandoned an infant within one year of birth; and (4) an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal, State, and local governments in providing housing and care for abandoned infants and young children.
Requires the Secretary to evaluate and report on effective methods: (1) of intervening before the abandonment of an infant or young child so as to prevent such abandonments; and (2) for responding to the needs of abandoned infants and young children.
(Sec. 144) Authorizes appropriations through FY 2007.
(Sec. 145) Amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to entitle subtitle B of title II the Abandoned Infants Assistance Act of 2002.
Subtitle C: Technical and Conforming Amendments - Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to change its short title to the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act.
Title II: Amendments to Family Violence Prevention and Services Act - Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to: (1) add a reporting requirement for State demonstration grants; (2) authorize appropriations through FY 2007; (3) authorize an extended duration of a national domestic violence hotline grant; and (4) extend through FY 2007 the authorization of appropriations for demonstration grants for community initiatives and for transitional housing assistance grants.
Title III: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective date of this Act.