The Children's Justice Act is a federally funded program that helps States develop, establish, and operate programs to improve the investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, particularly cases of child sexual abuse and exploitation, and to improve the handling of cases of suspected child abuse or neglect fatalities. Resources include State and local examples.
Children's Justice Act FAQs (PDF - 197 KB)
Children's Bureau (2013)
Provides an overview of the Children’s Justice Act (CJA) program, as well as information on how the CJA program is funded, what the funds can be used for, how the funds will be allocated, application requirements for the funds, the role of CJA State Coordinators, requirements for the 3-year assessment plan, and membership requirements for the CJA Task Force. The document is present in a question-and-answer format.
State and local examples
Children's Justice Act Grant
Oregon Department of Human Services
Includes reports and analyses produced by the task force, meeting minutes and agendas, task force members, and contact information.
Children's Justice Act Task Force
Alaska Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Children's Services
Presents information about an Alaska project that focuses on strengthening the system's response to child sexual abuse cases.
South Carolina Children's Justice Act Task Force
University of South Carolina School of Law, Children's Law Center
Provides information about South Carolina's project and includes recommendations for improvements.
Juvenile Services: Children’s Justice Act
Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (2017)
Explains the benefits of multidisciplinary teams for working with abused or neglected children and highlights Virginia's Children's Justice Act Program, which offers information on interagency protocols, team tracking, and information sharing.
Wisconsin Department of Justice Children's Justice Act Program
Office of Crime Victim Services
Describes Wisconsin's program to improve investigation and prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases, improve handling of suspected child abuse and neglect fatalities, and limit additional trauma to the child victim and family.