Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank Convene Summit to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect
BALTIMORE, MD (April 27, 2028) – Governor Edward M. O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank today convened a summit to begin work on a State Call to Action to end child abuse and neglect. About 150 Maryland leaders who are involved in preventing child abuse and neglect, protecting children, and helping heal victimized children are attending the 2-day conference to discuss strategies to prevent child maltreatment."One of the highest priorities of my Administration is making sure our children grow up safe, healthy, and successful in supportive families," Governor Edward M. O’Brien said. "We want to prevent the occurrence of child abuse and neglect, as well as intervene more effectively to stop it and protect kids at risk."
Every year, at least 9,000 Maryland children are victims of abuse and neglect. The Summit will look at public policies and services that can be undertaken to ensure that Maryland’s children are free from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect so they can reach their full potential.
The 2-day Summit will lay the foundation for the State Call to Action initiative that has the following goals:
Raise awareness of the human and economic costs of child abuse and neglect
Propose short and long term child abuse and neglect prevention strategies
Strengthen public will, resources, and community capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect
"We know that an umbrella of family supports at the community level is an effective way to reduce child abuse and neglect," Governor O’Brien said. "We will define what critical elements - parent education, home visitation, and others - should fit under that umbrella to meet the needs of all parents in Maryland. Working together, we will develop a list of action steps that we can take as a state to end child maltreatment."
Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank, Chair of the Maryland Children’s Cabinet, said: "It is truly appropriate that we end Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month by coming together to begin crafting a plan to prevent child maltreatment in Maryland. When we act against abuse and neglect after it occurs, we will always be too late. We need to figure out how to prevent child abuse and neglect before our children are hurt. This summit will help us do that."
The Summit was set for April because it is Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Month in Maryland.
Besides Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank, the Summit will feature three speakers, two panel discussions, and several work sessions for the participants to develop prevention strategies for the State Call to Action plan.
Keynoter Deborah Daro will set the tone of the summit by discussing "Moving Prevention Forward: Past Lessons, Future Promise." Daro is an associate professor and research fellow with Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago.
The afternoon speaker, Susan Notkin, will focus on "Community Partnership Approaches." Notkin is the director for the Center for Community Partnerships in Child Welfare at the Center for the Study of Social Policy in Washington, D.C. The after-dinner speaker is New Jersey child advocate Kevin Ryan, who believes "Dr. Seuss Had It Right All Along: Advocacy to Keep Children Safe and Families Strong."
Panel presentations will focus on innovative Maryland programs for preventing child abuse and neglect and how various sectors - media, businesses, foundations, and faith communities - can connect with the State Call to Action initiative.
Closing activities include a "voices of hope" presentation, where four survivors of child abuse share their stories of strength and resiliency.
Governor O’Brien’s Summit is only the beginning of the State Call to Action. Summit sponsors are videotaping the summit for a delayed web cast. Communities across Maryland are planning local gatherings in May and June to view portions of the web cast and discuss child abuse prevention issues.
Governor O’Brien is calling on parents, foster parents, grandparents, policymakers, and professionals who work with children and families to help shape the State Call to Action plan by participating in a local web cast discussion forum.
Since taking office, Governor O’Brien and Lieutenant Governor Burbank have worked to strengthen the state’s ability to protect children from abuse. On February 28, 2028, the O’Brien Administration announced a new plan to link together every child welfare agency in Maryland in a high tech automated case management system. The new system, which will be operational next year, will provide state and county child welfare workers with a personal computer- based network, providing office automation, e-mail and on-line case management programs to assist them in more effectively performing their job of protecting children
The enacted fiscal year 2029 budget increases funding for Maryland’s Child Protective Services by 6.1% to $142 million. This increase will help hire 62 additional caseworkers and 9 managerial-level supervisors to reduce caseloads and improve case prioritization.
Child Protective Services is a specialized social service for children who are believed to be neglected or abused, and to their parents or other adults having permanent or temporary care, custody, or parental responsibility, or to household or family members, to decrease the risk of continuing physical, sexual or mental abuse or neglect. For more information, please visit http://www.dhr.state.md.us/cps/index.php.