Children's Justice Act

The Task Force on Children’s Justice was established under the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) in 1991.   The mission and responsibility of the Task Force is to assist the State in developing, establishing, and operating programs designed to improve child welfare; in particular, the handling of child abuse and neglect cases, the handling of child abuse related fatalities, the prosecution of child abuse cases, particularly sexual abuse, and the handling of cases involving children with disabilities or serious health related problems.  The Task Force is also charged with the oversight and distribution of Children’s Justice Act federal grant money and reformation of policy and State laws related to the improvement of the investigative response to child abuse and neglect and the reduction of trauma to child victims.