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CABARRUS COMMUNITY CAMPAIGN F_QR INFANT SAFETY COMMUNITY CHILD PROTECTION TEAM GRANT III. STATEMENT OF NEED The Cabarms Community Children's Protection Team recit~s~s $50,000 for the purpose of carrying out an intensive campaign for infant safety in Cabarrus County during the fall of 2000. The campaign will be designed to reach all families but will focus especially on families who have been identified by social service and human service agencies as difficult to contact and/or maintain contact with. The campaign will target five critical areas related to the safe care of newborns and infants. As part of this program, the team will also plan and supervise the distribution of child restraint devices and infant portacribs to families in need of these essential items of baby equipment. In the state fiscal year that spanned July 1, 1998 through June 30, 1999, the following central registry statistics for Cabarms: Total Reports Percentage of children 6 and under 47% Percentage of reports substantiated 24.69% Percentage of reports substantiated neglect 84% Percentage of reports substantiated abuse 8% Percentage of reports substantiated abuse and neglect 7% 1033 involving 2057 children Of these reports: 22% were improper supervision 38% improper care / discipline 25% injurious environment 7% sexual abuse. 120 children were in the legal custody of Cabarms Social Services in March 2000. As the above statistics indicate, Cabarrus County has had a significant record of child abuse and neglect. However, until the fall of 1999, there had been no child deaths. In September and October 1999, two infants died in Cabarras County as a result of family abuse and/or neglect. One infant, Kayla Ross, age three months, died of abuse inflicted by her father. The second infant, Scan Tucker, 2 ½ months old, died as a result of asphyxiation while he was sleeping on a couch with his grandfather. Social Services had an open Children's Protective Services investigation at the time of the Sean's death that included the fact that the mother had poor parenting skills and that the baby did not have a crib. He usually slept with mother and grandfather. OnMay 11 and 12, 2000, members of the Child Protection Team carded out a Child Fatality Review, facilitated by Debm McHenry from the Division of Social Services. The final report from the Child Fatality Review Team to be made public in August will include important recommendations. One of these will be the need for educational methods to make contact earlier and more effectively with young parents who are at risk of not providing appropriate care to their infants because of lack of education, inexperience, substance abuse, poverty, etc. The project for which the CCPT is seeking grant support is directly related to the team's report. We will develop strategies for reaching heretofore unreached parents and family caregivers with critical information and equipment to insure each child's healthy, safe development and carry out a campaign for infant safety. The Child Protection Team is the appropriate organization to be selected to lead this project. 1. The Cabarms CCPT has high credibility in the community. It is an active, interdisciplinary group that includes representatives of all of the professions important to child protection. 2. The Cabarms CCPT has a solid history of achievements throughout its nine year history. Within the last 18 months, it has carried out two highly publicized Children's Vigils. The CCPT is associated in the county and in the Metrolina region as a leader in advocacy and efforts to protect children. 3. The CCPT recently completed a child fatality review and prepared an extensive report of their findings and recommendations. 4. The CCPT has a plan that will carry out its mission to reach unreached families with essential information to protect infants and equipment for families who do not have these items because of poverty.