Preceden

Children & Family Policies

Sheantay Ponder

Main

Childrens Aid Society

January 1, 1853

Created to keep children from being institionalized, the first foster homes were created.

New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

April 29, 1874

State-wide central registry for reporting child maltreatment.

Case of Mary Ellen

December 1874

First child abuse case court hearing.

Keating-Owen Child Labor Act

July 1, 1909

Statute enacted by the U.S. Congress which sought to address child labor by prohibiting the sale in interstate commerce of goods produced by factories that employed children under fourteen.

Sheppard-Towner ACt

1921

Reduction of maternal and infant mortality. Funding programs also created due to act, such as health clinics for women and children.

Social Security Act

August 15, 1935

Legislative act which created the Social Security system.

The Flemming Rule of 1960

July 2, 1960

Provides funding to States in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities and also provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for demonstration programs and projects.

Child Nutrition Act of 1966

October 11, 1966

In its Declaration of Purpose in Section 2 of the Act, the Congress stated, "In recognition of the demonstrated relationship between food and good nutrition and the capacity of children to develop and learn, based on the years of cumulative successful experience under the National School Lunch Program with its significant contributions in the field of applied nutrition research, it is hereby declared to be the policy of Congress that these efforts shall be extended, expanded, and strengthened under the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture as a measure to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation's children, and to encourage the domestic consumption of agricultural and other foods, by assisting States, through grants-in-aid and other means, to meet more effectively the nutritional needs of our children.”

Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act

January 31, 1974

Provides federal funding to States in support of prevention, assessment, investigation, prosecution, and treatment activities and also provides grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for demonstration programs and projects. Additionally, CAPTA identifies the Federal role in supporting research, evaluation, technical assistance, and data collection activities; establishes the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect; and mandates the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. CAPTA also sets forth a minimum definition of child abuse and neglect.

Hull House

June 12, 1974

The first settlement house.

Indian Child Welfare Act

July 1, 1978

Requirements for child welfare agencies when serving Native children and families.

Independent Living

July 1, 1986

Program providing funding for adolescents that have aged out of the foster care systems.

Child Television Act

October 18, 1990

Increase the quantity of educational and informational
broadcast television programming for children.

Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, Adoption, and Family Services Act of 1992

May 28, 1992

To amend the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) to revise and extend programs under the Act

Family Preservation and Support Services Program Act of 1993

August 10, 1993

Encouraged States to use funds to create a continuum of family-focused services for at-risk children and families

Child Abuse Accountability Act

November 22, 1993

To amend title 5, United States Code, to permit the garnishment of an annuity under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees’ Retirement System, if necessary to satisfy a judgment against an annuitant for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child.

Multiethnic Placement Act of 1994

October 20, 1994

Prohibited State agencies and other entities that receive Federal funding and were involved in foster care or adoption placements from delaying, denying, or otherwise discriminating when making a foster care or adoption placement decision on the basis of the parent or child's race, color, or national origin

TANF

July 1, 1997

TANF is a block grant program to help move recipients into work and turn welfare into a program of temporary assistance

TANF

July 1, 1997

TANF is a block grant program to help move recipients into work and turn welfare into a program of temporary assistance.

Child Protection Act of 1997

July 17, 1997

Previous law in the United States of America, passed in 1998 with the declared purpose of restricting access by minors to any material defined as harmful to such minors on the Internet.

Safe Havens for Children Act of 1997

July 31, 1997

This Act has been enacted to
protect children from the trauma of witnessing or experiencing violence, sexual abuse.

Megans Law

September 9, 1997

Requires law enforcement authorities to make information available to the public regarding registered sex offenders, which was created in response to the murder of Megan Kanka.

Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997

November 19, 1997

To promote the adoption of children in foster care

Volunteers for Children Act of 1998

October 9, 1998

On October 9, 1998, the Volunteers for Children Act was signed into law by President Clinton as Public Law 105-251, amending the National Child Protection Act of 1993.

Protection of Children from Sexual Predators Act of 1998

October 30, 1998

The Act is a broad law addressing concerns about sexual predators. Among its provisions are increased penalties for anyone who uses a computer to persuade, entice, coerce, or facilitate the transport of a child to engage in prohibited sexual activity, a requirement that Internet service providers report to law enforcement if they become aware of child pornography activities, a requirement that federal prisoners using the Internet be supervised, and a requirement for a study by the National Academy of Sciences on how to reduce the availability to children of pornography on the Internet.

John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Act

July 1, 1999

Program offering assistance to current and former foster care adolescents.

Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act 2006

July 27, 2006

federal statute that was signed into law by U.S. President George W. Bush on July 27, 2006. The Walsh Act organizes sex offenders into three tiers and mandates that Tier 3 offenders (the most serious tier) update their whereabouts every three months with lifetime registration requirements.

Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2011

February 28, 2011

A bill to support the establishment or expansion and operation of programs using a network of public and private community entities to provide mentoring for children in foster care.

Child Protection Improvement Act of 2011

March 7, 2011

A bill to amend the National Child Protection Act of 1993 to establish a permanent background check system [there is a small section pertaining to potential adoptive/foster parents].

Every Child Deserves a Family Act

May 3, 2011

To prohibit discrimination in adoption or foster care placements based on the sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status of any prospective adoptive or foster parent, or the sexual orientation or gender identity of the child involved