Georgia Conference on Child Abuse Prevention

Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in the United States with significant economic, health, and human capital consequences. Children under age one experience the highest rates of child abuse and neglect and the greatest likelihood of fatality from maltreatment, including shaken baby syndrome. Publicly-funded paid family leave (PFL) programs in the U.S. have been found to improve risk factors for maltreatment including increased parental time investments in children, better maternal and child health, and household income protection in the months surrounding a birth.

We examine whether state PFL programs in the U.S. affect infant maltreatment. Using administrative data on child maltreatment reports to Child Protective Services (CPS), we compare reports of infants under age 1 in PFL states to reports of infants in non-PFL states before and after PFL was implemented. We find that PFL reduced reports of infant maltreatment by about 14 percent, and home removals by about 46 percent. We also observe fewer substantiated reports by about 22 percent. These results imply PFL has spillovers to the child welfare system that should be accounted for.

Being in foster care can lead to a number of barriers that can result in young people feel like they are starting on a more difficult playing field from their peers. We want to give you all tools and real examples of how to even that playing field. This panel features Lived Experience Experts—current and former youth with experience in foster care (ages 14+) from Georgia.  The core question this panel will address is: How can adult supporters increase Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) for youth who have or are experiencing foster care?

Lived Experience Expert panelists will share concrete strategies for: being a safe space for feelings to be expressed, supporting traditions, offering stability during difficult times, fostering belonging in school despite moves, and becoming one of the consistent, caring non-parent adults in a young person’s life.  As an adult sup[porter, you are in the position to help these young people break generational cycles, come learn with us, how to do that!

Attendees will also hear honest accounts of transitioning from foster care to adulthood, learn why peer community is a protective factor, and see real policy wins and macro-level impact that EmpowerMEnt’s lived experience experts have achieved in Georgia’s child welfare system and what that involvement has been like and meant to them.   We are also happy to share resources to help you, help youth you work with. Especially those transitioning into adulthood.
We're excited for this to be an interactive panel as well and will have time and space for you to ask questions directly as well.  

EmpowerMEnt is a pioneering youth-led and youth-focused organization dedicated to training and empowering young people (ages 14+) who are currently in or have experienced foster care. Our mission is to directly influence, change, and improve the way policies are written and administered, ensuring that decisions affecting youth in foster care are made with their direct input and lived experience. "Nothing About us, Without us."

Disclaimers: No CEUs are provided for this presentation.
Supportive Disclaimer: All of our lived experience experts are trained with a model called Strategic Sharing: the intentional, purposeful process of telling your lived experience and impactful personal story safely to achieve a specific goal, such as advocacy, education, or connection.  We do this in effort to prevent retraumatizing oneself or the audience.  Georgia EmpowerMEnt provides preparation and debrief to our lived experience experts to ensure their mental health and emotional safety. 

Programs that intentionally create PCEs for children, families, and child care educators strengthen resilience across the caregiving system. Grounded in a strong understanding and application of the Child Care Learning Center (CCLC) Indicator Manual, these efforts become intentional, consistent, and high-quality. The CCLC framework helps child care educators turn knowledge into meaningful daily practices, fostering safe, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate environments. This alignment enhances program quality while deepening the impact of PCEs for children, families, and child care educators alike.