About Us
The West Virginia Children's Justice Task Force, a multidisciplinary group of public and private agencies and individuals, is committed to the protection of children from abuse and neglect. Our mission is to identify barriers to the successful resolution of child abuse and neglect issues and to educate and advocate for change. The Task Force examines statewide policy and legislation regarding the investigative, administrative, and judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect. This review, in turn, helps make the legal process less traumatic for victims. The Task Force works in collaboration with several organizations and agencies in the child welfare realm.
Organized in 1991 and funded through the federal Children's Justice Act, the Task Force raises awareness of child abuse and neglect issues through public information materials and activities. The Task Force also sponsors an annual training conference which attracts more than 600 participants, as well as other training programs to support law enforcement, judicial, health care, mental health and social service professionals in working together as a team to better investigate and resolve child abuse in West Virginia .
The West Virginia Children's Justice Task Force is funded through the Children's Justice Act (CJA). The CJA “helps States to develop, establish, and operate programs designed to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, particularly cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, in a manner which limits additional trauma to the child; and to improve the handling of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect related fatalities. The CAPTA amendments of the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003 authorizes grants from this program to address the handling of cases of children with disabilities and serious health problems who are victims of child abuse or neglect” (Administration for Children and Families, Children's Bureau website). Additionally, these grant funds provide assistance to develop, establish and operate programs to improve: 1) the handling of child abuse and neglect cases in a manner which limits additional trauma to the child; 2) the handling of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect related deaths; and 3) the investigation and prosecution of cases of child abuse and neglect.