Early Identification:
Referral Requirements under CAPTA and IDEA

• Fact Sheet: Vulnerable Young Children (May 2008) NECTAC
• Conference Calls on Vulnerable Young Children (2007), hosted by OSEP's Part C Identification Community of Practice and the NECTAC Vulnerable Populations Initiative.
• Enrolling Young Children Who Have Been Maltreated into Part C (December 2005), Presentation at the 2005 Annual OSEP National Early Childhood Conference.
• Minibibliography: Impact of Abuse, Neglect and Foster Care Placement on Infants, Toddlers and Young Children (2005) NECTAC
• Minibibliography: Policy Issues and Intervention Strategies for Young Children Prenatally Exposed to Drugs or Alcohol: Selected Resources (2005), NECTAC
• Implications of the Referral of Children Under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) (2004), Conference Call Series hosted by the OSEP Part C Identification Community of Practice.

• Implications of the CAPTA Requirement for Referrals from Child Welfare to Part C (January 2007) Brief Policy Analysis, Project Forum
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Several State Initiatives (January 2007), Brief Policy Analysis, Project Forum
• Foster Care and Children with Disabilities (February 2005), Quick Turn Around (QTA) Brief, Project Forum

• Child Maltreatment 2011 (December 2012), Children's Bureau - This annual report provides data collected from the States' child protective services (CPS) agencies via the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System.
  See also, Past Child Maltreatment reports
• The Child Welfare Information Gateway, a service of the Children's Bureau, provides access to information and resources on a wide range of topics to help protect children and strengthen families. Some of these include:
  • Child Welfare & IDEA Part C (various dates)
  • Long Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect (2008)
  • Addressing the Needs of Young Children in Child Welfare: Part C - Early Intervention Services (2007)
• Information Memorandum on Modifications to the CAPTA State Grant Program by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-36) (2003) and Child Welfare Policy Manual, Section 2.1I on CAPTA, Assurances and Requirements, Referrals to IDEA, Part C, for questions and answers related to this policy.
• In 2005, the Children's Bureau awarded four 5-year grants to develop model policies and procedures on the provisions of CAPTA related to substance-exposed infants. To learn more, see:
  • Collaborative Approaches to Identifying and Serving Substance Exposed Newborns: Lessons Learned from Four Demonstration Projects (September 15, 2009) - A webcast hosted by the National Abandoned Infants Assistance (AIA) Resource Center
  • Implementing CAPTA Requirements to Help Substance-Exposed Newborns (2008)

See also, Other National Resource Centers funded by the Children's Bureau with resources relevant to this topic.

NSCAW is a longitudinal study intended to answer fundamental questions about children who come in contact with the child welfare system.

NSCAW reports provide nationally representative longitudinal data from first-hand reports on children, parents, other caregivers, caseworkers and teachers involved with the child welfare system.

NSCAW II Wave 2 Report: Child Well-Being (July 2012) shows that 18 months after the close of investigation, children reported for maltreatment were found to be below their peers in social-emotional, cognitive, language, daily living skills, behavioral, and social skill-based domains. 34.5% of children 1 to 5 years old showed risk of developmental delay on standardized measures; 6.5% had both an established medical condition and developmental delay; overall, 42.3% were found to be potentially eligible for services under the IDEA.

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health (NTAC) addresses the mental health needs of children, youth and their families at the policy, research, training/consultation and direct service levels. Some of their publications include:

• Building Systems of Care: A Primer for Child Welfare (2008)
• A Family's Guide to the Child Welfare System (2005)

• Children at Risk in the Child Welfare System: Collaborations to Promote School Readiness Final Report (2009). Cutler Institute and Oldham Innovative Research.

This report summarizes findings from a 3 year study funded by the Office of Policy, Research and Evaluation of the Administration on Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to examine the degree to which child welfare agencies, early intervention/preschool special education programs under IDEA, and early care and education programs are collaborating to meet the developmental and educational needs of children ages 0 to 5 who are in the child welfare system.

The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) is jointly funded by SAMHSA and the Children's Bureau. Some resources of interest include:

• Substance-Exposed Infants: State Responses to the Problem. (2009) - Provides an analysis of States’ policies regarding issues such as prevention, intervention, identification, and treatment of prenatal substance exposure, including services for the infant, the mother, and the family.
• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Center for Excellence - This Web site has a large collection of resources on fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).

• AAP policy statements related to child abuse and neglect and children in foster care:
  • Maltreatment of Children with Disabilities (2007) AAP
  • Evaluation of Suspected Child Physical Abuse (2007) AAP
  • Health Care of Young Children in Foster Care (2002) AAP
• 10 Things Every Pediatrician Should Know About Children In Foster Care (2009) AAP

See also, the AAP's Web page on Child Abuse and Neglect.

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University has published numerous resources on how adversity in early childhood can impact early childhood development. Some of these include:

• Online webcasts and presentations from the National Symposium on Early Childhood Science and Policy, held on June 26-27, 2008. Topics addressed included: the impact of adverse early experiences on brain development, the characteristics of effective early childhood programs, delivering high-value services to vulnerable young children, and more.
• Reports, working papers and briefs on the science of early childhood, which examine the critical impact of a child's environment and relationships during the first months and years of life on the developing brain.

• Who Are the Infants in Out-of-Home Care? An Epidemiological and Developmental Snapshot (May 2011) by Fred Wulczyn, Michelle Ernst, and Philip Fisher.
  This report discusses the characteristics of infants in foster care, focusing on key findings across five domains, including: incidence of first-time placements, duration in care, experiences in care, characteristics, and vulnerability for delayed development. Although infants in foster care face a number of challenges, the researchers found that early intervention programs, appropriate therapeutic responses, and caregiver training and support can reduce the harmful effects of stress that these children experience and improve the odds for better cognitive outcomes.

• Developmental Status and Early Intervention Service Needs of Maltreated Children: Final Report (April 2008)
  This report provides information on the developmental status and early intervention service needs of children under age three who are substantiated for maltreatment. It is based on an analysis of the National Early Intervention Longitudinal Study (NEILS) and the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW).

The National Indian Child Welfare Association provides public policy, research, and advocacy information and training on Indian child welfare and community development services to a broad national audience It is the only national Indian organization focused on child abuse and neglect issues that impact Indian children and families. NICWA also works to support compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 and other key legislation to support American Indian children and families.

Vulnerable Infants and Toddlers in Four Service Systems (2007) - This reportexamines the characteristics of vulnerable young children in four service systems: Early Head Start; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; the Child Welfare System; and the IDEA Part C Early Intervention Program. Data suggest that the children and families in these systems have notable similarities. The authors suggest that policy initiatives to support young ’chilren's development might benefit from integrating common lessons from the different systems' research findings.

• Safe Babies Court Teams: Building Strong Families and Healthy Communities - This ZERO TO THREE initiative focuses on improving how the courts, child welfare agencies, and related child-serving organizations work together, share information, and expedite services for young children.
• Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Futures: A Judg’e's Guide (October 2009) - Provides information on child development, attachment, physical health, infant mental health, and early care and education. Produced by the American Bar Association's Center on Children and the Law, in collaboration with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and the ZERO TO THREE National Policy Center.
• Developmental Problems of Maltreated Children and Early Intervention Options for Maltreated Children (2007) - Developed by ZERO TO THREE in collaboration with the Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED), this literature review examines common developmental problems that occur as a result of maltreatment in infants and toddlers under the age of 3 and the positive impact of early intervention for these vulnerable young children.
• From Science to Public Policy: Early Intervention for Abused and NeglectedInfants and Toddlers (2006)
  See also, ZERO TO THREE's page on Child Maltreatment