Several pieces of legislation was created in establishing child abuse prevention measures. The Social Security Act was amended in 1962 and provided money to expand services for child welfare. In 1973, Senator Walter Mondale made it clear there was no one assigned full time to the prevention, identification and treatment of child abuse and neglect. After Mondale’s comments, the federal government took a leadership role in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA). CAPTA impacts the lives of victims of child abuse and neglect. This act is the only federally funded program that is designated for helping children who are mistreated. It also supports the prevention, the investigation, the assessment procedure, and the treatment of families in need of help because of issues including child abuse and …show more content…
Two factors that changed the way that sexual abuse is known today includes the child protection system and new research. The new child protection system included new reporting laws. The new research shed light on the prevalence and harmful effects of sexual abuse. By the end of 1970’s CAPTA included sexual abuse in its definition of maltreatment. In 1976, all states had reporting laws requiring professionals to report sexual abuse. Social workers have a civic duty to educate and advocate for neglected children. Although, one person cannot stop every child abuse case, they do have a key in helping eliminate the problem. Comparing the past to today, the government 's efforts to deal with child maltreatment and neglect has greatly improved; however, the issue of abuse and neglect is something that we hope to