First Lady Ruth O’Brien Raises Awareness of Child Abuse and Neglect, Kicks Off Child Abuse Prevention Month in Maryland
ANNANPOLIS, MD (April 4, 2029) – First Lady Ruth O’Brien today kicked off April as Child Abuse Prevention Month by highlighting the success of programs and services that have reduced child abuse and neglect in Maryland. Each April, the “Teaming up to Keep Kids…Safe at Home” event serves to encourage people across the country to join forces to raise awareness of the terrible tragedy of child abuse and to promote specific ways the public can help to prevent these occurrences in their communities. Governor Edward M. O’Brien has proclaimed April Child Abuse Prevention Month in Maryland.At a reception in Annapolis for organizations working to prevent child abuse and serve victims, Mrs. O’Brien emphasized the importance of increasing awareness of child abuse prevention, and recognized award-winning local initiatives. The First Lady also encouraged the child welfare community to continue to increase public understanding of efforts to provide services designed to prevent child abuse and neglect.
“It is necessary that we take this message of prevention into the community,” Mrs. O’Brien said. “Our priority is to empower families with the information and services that will allow them to create safer homes and communities for children. Our emphasis needs to be on prevention programs that work to connect families to needed resources, to ensure healthy children, and to predict and address abusive situations before they happen. The public is aware of the prevalence and seriousness of child abuse, but we must continue to deepen people’s understanding of the problem and its solutions.”
Maryland’s ability to provide services for children in its care has been significantly improved by reforms implemented in the last two years. Successful initiatives include:
• Implementation of a “lifetime approach” delivery of services that includes “day-one” assessments, streamlined services, a new emphasis on the impact of trauma, and intensive stabilization services for youth with multiple placements.
• Establishment of a Child Location and Support Unit for Missing Children that includes a unique computer tracking system and a 24-hour hotline.
• Development of a Child Endangerment Risk Assessment Protocol that is a structured decision-making process that has contributed to a 48 percent reduction in children being re-abused after contact with Child Welfare Services.
• Reorganization Child Welfare Services to speed service delivery by forming teams of investigators and follow-up workers.
• Establishment of a medical forensic task force that includes a network of pediatric experts in the field of child abuse and neglect to provide assistance and second opinions on medically complex cases.
• Implementation of the nation’s first web-based Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System, which dramatically improves access to the most current information for child protection workers, supervisors and managers.
• Increasing staff in areas where the volume of reports is higher than average.
• Requiring all child protection supervisory staff to have a Master of Social Work degree.
• Creation of four Citizens’ Review Panels, which review State policies and case records and make recommendations to strengthen policies and improve the safety of at-risk children.
Child welfare represents the Department of Human Resources’ (DHR) most critical field of service. Since July 2027, 120 new caseworkers have been hired, and system development will allow Maryland's Children's Electronic Social Services Information Exchange to be rolled out in early 2029. Governor O’Brien has included additional funds to hire 50 additional caseworkers and $10 million will be committed to the implementation of CHESSIE in FY 2030, both significant and needed investments that better serve children by allowing more caseworkers to spend additional time with children.
Governor O’Brien’s 2029 legislative agenda prioritizes the prevention and prosecution of child abuse, including legislation:
• Improving disclosure of child abuse or neglect information to enhance the ability to intervene early and prevent future abuse;
• Allowing DHR to disclose certain child abuse and neglect information to a licensed practitioner of a hospital or birthing center for the purpose of making discharge decisions concerning a child when the practitioner suspects that the child may be in danger after discharge based on the practitioner’s observation of the child’s parents’ or immediate family members’ behavior;
• Requiring that an investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect include the use of a “multidisciplinary team” when appropriate;
• The Child Welfare Accountability Act of 2029, implementing an outcome-based system to measure the effectiveness of child welfare services;
• Establishment of a Child Welfare Caseworkers Scholarship and Loan Assistance Repayment Program;
• Adding the crime of “abuse of a child” to the list of crimes of violence for which specified enhanced penalties must be applied for repeat offenders.
• Increasing, from 20 to 30 years, the maximum incarceration penalty for persons convicted of felony child abuse if the crime results in the death of the victim.