During this time of year, the halls of the Capitol get busier with school groups and concerned citizens coming to speak with legislators. While the days seem to get longer as we spend more time on the floor of the Missouri Senate discussing bills and proposals, I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of April being designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Since 1983, April has been designated as Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2017, 5,141 Missouri children were involved in substantiated claims of abuse or neglect. Even worse, 32 Missouri children died as a result of abuse or neglect during the same year. That is one child too many.
The Missouri Department of Senior Services has a toll-free phone number in which any person can report suspected child abuse or neglect. During 2017 there were 68,014 investigations into child abuse or neglect based off of reports from concerned citizens and those mandated by law to report suspected abuse. Teachers, doctors and health care professionals are just a few professions, which are classified as a mandated reporters. Those professionals can submit reports of non-emergency abuse online at https://dss.mo.gov/cd/keeping-kids-safe/can.htm. Concerned citizens can call 1-800-392-3738. The Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline is a toll-free line which is answered seven days a week, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Any person may report suspected child abuse or neglect. While call center staff will accept anonymous reports, please consider identifying yourself. Being able to contact the caller helps the Children’s Division staff complete a more thorough investigation. They may also need to ask for more information during the investigation process.
When making a report, be sure to have the following information:
- Name of the child;
- Name of the parent(s);
- Name of the alleged abuser; and
- Where the child can be located.
You will also be asked:
- Is the child in a life-threatening situation now?
- How do you know about the abuse/neglect?
- Did you witness the abuse/neglect?
- Were there other witnesses, and if so, how can they be contacted?
If abuse is suspected, it is our responsibility to be the child’s voice and speak out. They are some of our state’s most vulnerable citizens and depend on responsible adults to help guide them through childhood. Ensuring their safety in these formative years is vital to the future of our state.
My colleagues and I are dedicated to passing meaningful legislation intended to stop child abuse and neglect in Missouri. Each year, we work hard to pass legislation which will do just that. This year, we have taken up two pieces of legislation dealing specifically with child abuse and neglect in our state.
Senate Bill 850 makes several changes to state law regarding records involving children. The legislation makes it easier for the state’s Children’s Division and other state agencies to share information regarding child abuse or neglect investigations. The legislation also includes language allowing for the sharing of information between states. Many of the reforms in SB 850 are a result of the death of Adrian Jones, a Kansas boy who was killed by his father and stepmother in 2015. The family moved between Kansas and Missouri, and many believe his death could have been prevented if the states could have shared information regarding his abuse. In addition, the legislation requires the Children’s Division to retain all information regarding a child abuse investigation for 10 years, even if there is insufficient evidence of abuse or neglect. The legislation also requires the division to retain all investigation records involving a missing child alleged to have been abused or neglected for 18 years. These common-sense reforms provide the state with the tools needed to expose and prosecute individuals who abuse our children.
Senate Bill 890 aims to provide a path for law enforcement, state officials and prosecuting attorneys to investigate and examine children who display signs of abuse and neglect when permission cannot be received from parents or guardians to conduct the exam. Too often the abuser is a family member and permission for an exam is not given because it could incriminate them or a fellow family member. This legislation establishes procedures granting the state’s Children’s Division, juvenile officers or prosecuting attorneys the ability to petition the court for an order forcing parents, guardians or persons with custody and control of a child who is the subject of a child abuse or neglect investigation to present the child to a qualified health care provider for a sexual assault forensic exam, physical abuse exam or an interview at a child assessment center. This information is vital to protecting our children, and we must do everything we can to keep abusers and their families from standing in the way of an investigation. Too often, these investigations go nowhere because abusers and their family members stand in the way of law enforcement and other officials from being able to uncover the truth. This legislation specifies that the court shall only grant the order if probable cause of child abuse or neglect has been determined, the interview exam is necessary to complete an investigation or collect evidence and that conducting the exam or investigation would be in the best interest of the child. Senate Bill 890 provides law enforcement and state officials with an important tool to help protect children from a family abuser.
As always, I encourage my constituents to contact me throughout the year with comments, questions or suggestions by calling my office at (573) 751-5713. To find more information about the bills I sponsor, visit www.senate.mo.gov/brown. Thank you for reading this and for your participation in state government.