ISPCAN announces agreement with AHA

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Kimberly Svevo, Executive Director

International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect®

245 W. Roosevelt Road, West Chicago IL 60185

Ph: 1-630-876-6913

exec@xxxxxxxxxx

International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect® and the American Humane Association Form an International Partnership to Improve Child Protective Services Data Programs

CHICAGO, April 29, 2008 – In observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect ® and the American Humane Association announced plans to launch a joint project to develop the Working Group on National Child Maltreatment Data Collection Programs (WGCMDC) in Washington, D.C. This is the first funded effort to develop a global network to address the needs of child maltreatment data collection programs.

Our society can only help the children and families affected by abuse or neglect if we know and understand the trends and numbers behind it. With this in mind, the American Humane Association and the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) will operate the working group internationally to reach a number of goals.

First, the working group will identify organizations and individuals worldwide who are actively working with child maltreatment data collection programs. In addition to countries that have already implemented child maltreatment data systems, countries that are currently involved in planning and developing such systems will be key participants. Then the group will advocate the use of data collection to impact policy development at national and international levels. In addition, the working group will work collaboratively with developing countries and other international bodies to help implement sustainable data collection programs.

American Humane and ISPCAN will collaborate on the strategic planning, training and dissemination of publications and resource materials as well as related products to expand the international community’s interest in data collection systems for child maltreatment.

The new working group is unique. It will focus purely on child protective services and will take advantage of collective knowledge on a global scale. It will contribute to “real world” solutions and evidence-based policy and practices to address long-standing issues in public child protective services.

According to Sonia Velazquez, Vice President of American Humane’s Children’s Division, “The WGCMDC working group represents an important step toward improving child abuse data collection processes. It will positively improve our understanding of systems in child protective services and will lead to more effective and desirable results for the children in our care.” Danya Glaser, ISPCAN President, warmly welcomes this joint venture to gather vital information which will shed new light on the actual situation of maltreated children and help track progress in their protection.

About American Humane

Founded in 1877, the American Humane Association is the only national organization dedicated to protecting both children and animals. Through a network of child and animal protection agencies and individuals, American Humane develops policies, legislation, curricula and training programs to protect children and animals from abuse, neglect and exploitation. The nonprofit membership organization, headquartered in Denver, raises awareness about The Link^® between violence to people and violence to animals, as well as the benefits derived from the human-animal bond. American Humane’s regional office in Los Angeles is the authority behind the “No Animals Were Harmed”^® end-credit disclaimer on film and TV productions, and American Humane’s office in Washington, D.C., is an advocate for child and animal protection at the federal and state levels. American Humane meets the strong, comprehensive standards of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, has been awarded the Independent Charities of America’s “Best in America” Seal of Approval and has received a 3-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s leading charity evaluator. Visit www.americanhumane.org to learn more.

About International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect® (ISPCAN)

The International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect®, founded in 1977, is the only multidisciplinary international organization that brings together a worldwide cross-section of professionals working towards the prevention of abuse, neglect and exploitation of children globally.

ISPCAN’s mission is to support individuals and organizations working to protect children from abuse and neglect worldwide. ISPCAN is committed to the prevention of cruelty to children in every nation, in every form: physical abuse and fatalities, sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect and psychological maltreatment. ISPCAN is dedicated to increasing public awareness of all forms of violence against children, developing activities to prevent such violence, and promoting the rights of children in all regions of the world. ISPCAN invites you to join forces with its members to protect children in need: their bodies, minds, hearts and rights. Learn about ISPCAN’s goals, publications, congresses, professional training events, and worldwide activities. Visit www.ISPCAN.org.