Home visiting works to reduce incidence of child abuse, neglect

Curran, Perez and Zaruba are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois

As the sheriffs of DuPage, Kane and Lake counties, we've seen many serious, disturbing crimes. But there is nothing more gut wrenching than seeing a child hurt or killed by those people charged with their care and safety -- their parents or guardians.

There have been several disturbing cases of child abuse involving parents or guardians in the region over the last year. In DuPage County in 2007, a father was charged with killing his two young sons by setting them on fire. Just last September in Kane County, another father was convicted in the beating death of his 1-month-old son. And this April, a Lake County mother was charged in the stabbing death of her 6-year-old daughter.

The entire criminal justice system works hard to respond to these and other incidents of child abuse. We have trained investigators who investigate these crimes, as well as prosecutors who specialize in abuse and neglect cases. And there are advocates and social workers that work to make sure children who survive abuse have a safe place to live and that they receive the services they need.

There are other long-term consequences of child abuse. Though most children who suffer abuse and neglect can grow up to be healthy and successful, research shows that kids who survive abuse are more likely to commit violent crime as adults. In Illinois, the research suggests that more than 1,100 children who are abused and neglected this year will grow up to be violent criminals.

Thankfully, we know how to prevent these tragedies. Research shows that intensive home visiting programs can reduce child abuse and neglect. Children from families who participated in intensive home visiting programs like the Nurse-Family Partnership were also 59 percent less likely to be arrested when they grew up than kids from families left out of the program. Home visiting programs send trained professionals into the homes of at-risk parents who want help. Families learn the basics of bathing, feedings and sleep schedules. They learn how to deal with the stress of parenthood. Ultimately, they learn how to raise a child who will grow up to become a responsible adult.

No county in this state is free of child abuse, and DuPage, Kane and Lake counties are no exception. Between our three counties, there were just over 3,200 proven child abuse and neglect incidents in 2007, and there are over 12,000 at-risk kids under the age of 3 who are living in poverty. While many of these families could benefit from home visiting assistance, existing programs don't have the resources needed to meet their needs. In fact, they now only reach one out of every eight of these at-risk kids.

This year, the Illinois General Assembly has the opportunity to expand these programs. That's why we are calling on the Illinois General Assembly to expand home-visiting programs in the FY09 budget for the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services by $10 million, as outlined in HB 5570 and SB 2235. A companion bill, HB 5038, would increase the funding set-aside for birth-to-3 programs to 20 percent under Illinois' Early Childhood Block Grant. Both measures can significantly decrease child abuse and neglect by increasing resources for home visiting programs.

We know what really works to stop child abuse and prevent crime. Illinois should invest now in a proven solution to ensure a safer future. The time to act is now.