About the Work Group
The amendments to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) of 1988 created a Federal Inter-Agency Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. The Task Force consisted of approximately 30 member agencies drawn from the eight Cabinet Departments and the Office of Personnel Management. The Director of the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN) was the statutory chairperson of the Task Force.
When the 1996 CAPTA amendments created an Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, replacing the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (NCCAN), it also eliminated the requirement for a Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect.
However, the existing Task Force members agreed that it was important to maintain the connections and to continue their work. The name was changed to the Federal Interagency Work Group on Child Abuse and Neglect as Task Forces have specific meanings and requirements under Federal law.
Current Activities
Since 1996, the Office on Child Abuse and Neglect has continued to lead and coordinate the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Child Abuse and Neglect (FEDIAWG). The FEDIAWG meets on a quarterly basis and includes representation from over 35 Federal agencies. The overall goals of the FEDIAWG are:
- To provide a forum through which staff from relevant Federal agencies can communicate and exchange ideas concerning child maltreatment related programs and activities;
- To collect information about Federal child maltreatment activities; and
- To provide a basis for collective action through which funding and resources can be maximized.
Work Group Members
The following Departments and their subsequent Program Offices are members of the FEDIAWG:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- U.S. Department of Agriculture
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of Education
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Agency for International Development
- U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
For more information on the FEDIAWG and upcoming meetings, contact Lauren Fischman.