§ 26.5-3-202 — Legislative declaration

(1) The general assembly finds that:

(a) Child abuse and neglect are a threat to the family unit and impose major
expenses on society;

(b) There is a need to assist private and public agencies in identifying,
planning, and establishing statewide programs for the prevention of child abuse
and neglect; and

(c) The types of trauma experienced by children who are under eighteen
years of age include childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse; emotional
and physical neglect; housing insecurity and poverty; and household challenges,
including growing up in a household with substance abuse, mental health disorders,
violence, or parental incarceration. Adverse childhood experiences such as these
have been shown to have a lifelong impact on health, behavior, and age of mortality.

(2) It is the purpose of this part 2 to promote primary and secondary
prevention programs that are designed to prevent child trauma and maltreatment
before it occurs, lessen the occurrence of child abuse and neglect, and mitigate the
impacts of adverse childhood experiences to reduce the need for state intervention
through child welfare actions and economic support for families experiencing
poverty.

Legislative History

Source: L. 2022: Entire article added with relocations, (HB 22-1295), ch. 123, p. 606, � 3, effective July 1.