The Alabama Department of Child Abuse Prevention (DCAP) — The Children’s Trust Fund (CTF) has a more than 25 year history as the only state agency explicitly focused on educating our communities about child abuse and neglect and providing prevention programs. DCAP is focused on supporting family-strengthening community programs and investing upfront in efforts to enhance the chance that children in our state grow up in a nurturing and supportive home. A 2007 study by the University of Alabama revealed that child abuse and neglect costs taxpayers $520,800,290 every year.

In Project Year 2007-2008, DCAP was provided $7,446,936 in federal and state dollars from eight funding streams. 232 community based prevention programs were provided grant awards. Research indicates that key target areas for prevention of child maltreatment include public awareness, parenting education, parenting support of children, two-parent involvement, and healthy relationships and marriages, as well as child and youth awareness, knowledge, and support. Therefore, the types of programs funded include: Parent Education and Support; Home Visiting; Fatherhood; Healthy Marriage; Respite Care,;Youth School-Based, Non School-Based/After-School, and Mentoring; and Community Awareness. Although each program differs in approach and delivery method, common objectives are shared by programs in each area of emphasis. All programs have objectives that center on reducing risk factors for child maltreatment.

In 2007, DCAP, together with the Human Development and Family Studies department at Auburn University, continued a systematic evaluation of its funded programs in an effort to document the magnitude of DCAP outreach and the effects of program offerings for youth and parents around the state who took part in a DCAP/CTF-funded program. (Author abstract)