Advocacy & Policy
Our mission is clear. By providing support for the safety
and stability of family members, which includes, strengthening family, stable housing, health promotion
and illness prevention, particularly the parent's mental health, can all affect children’s outcomes.
Investing in healthy child development with positive early experiences and provide children with a foundation for building strong healthy experiences and relationships, will support a broad range of skills and learning capacities throughout the lifespan.
Disruptions in this early childhood development can derail
this development process, including social and emotional development, causing a lifetime of implications that include chronic health problems , premature mortality, lowered education achievements, mental illness, substance abuse
and addiction.
A Stable Family Promotes a Healthy Child
Multidisciplinary Support for Families: Cross-system prevention strategies and earlier intervention are critical to building and sustaining healthier families and communities. This can lead policymakers to think at all levels about the support that could lead to better outcomes for children.
Personal Safety
Health
Quality
Child Care
Education and Child Development
Stability, Family Housing and Community
PASSED
NY Senate Bill – The Child Victims Act
The New York Child Victims Act revives civil action for certain sex offenses committed against a person less than eighteen years of age.
Monday January 28th, both the NY Senate and Assembly have overwhelmingly approved the Child Victims Act.
The bill is intended to break the silence and give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a voice. For years, adults who were sexually abused as children were left suffering in silence with limited options in their pursuit of justice. If/when the Child Victims Act is passed survivors will have a chance to be heard and to seek justice for the abuses committed against them.
The purpose of the bill is:
“Provides that the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution of a sexual offense committed against a child shall not begin to run until the child turns 23 years of age; provides that a civil action for conduct constituting a sexual offense against a child, shall be brought before the child turns 55 years of age; revives previously barred actions related to sexual abuse of children; grants civil trial preference to such actions…” https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S2440
“Passage Of The CVA is a Step Forward But Not The End Of The Journey”
“Yes, this bill will give all victims the opportunity to pursue restitution in the civil court. But, in reality, most of the victims receiving financial awards will be those survivors whose abusers were institutionally affiliated. For everyone else, there will be little or no restitution to help pay for therapy, substance abuse treatment, a college education or any of the other supports that can help rebuild a life that has been derailed by trauma. ” – Senator Catharine M. Young (R,C,I-57th District)