Bill Clinton

“ We must support community programs that help to identify families at risk and intervene before abuse becomes deadly. As individuals and as members of our communities, we need to support services, programs, and legislation that will help to relieve the stresses on families that can sometimes lead to violence. We must strengthen the partnerships among schools, social service agencies, religious organizations, law enforcement, and the business community so that child abuse prevention efforts will be comprehensive, swift, and effective. ”

“ The most recent reports from State child welfare agencies, however, confirm that one million cases of substantiated child abuse or neglect occur in our Nation every year. Of these cases, more than a thousand children-many under the age of four-do not survive; and most die at the hands of a parent or other family member. ”

“ And for those children who cannot remain safely at home, we worked with the Congress to enact the Adoption and Safe Families Act, which makes it easier to place at-risk children more quickly into a permanent and secure environment. ”

“ Backing up such efforts at the State and local level, my Administration is focusing Federal attention and resources on combating child abuse and neglect. We are supporting family-based prevention services that help at-risk families reduce violence in the home. ”