By The Star Staff
Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia announced on Thursday the approval of the Child Welfare Prevention Plan aligned with the Family First Services Act, to continue directing the commonwealth Family Department’s prevention efforts and combat child abuse over the next five years.
With the signing of the plan, Puerto Rico became the first territory in the United States to have a child abuse prevention system endorsed by the federal government.
The governor was accompanied by the commissioner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children, Youth and Families, Rebecca Jones Gaston; Family Secretary Ciení Rodríguez Troche; and the head of the Administration for Families and Children (ADFAN), Glenda Gerena Ríos.
“During these recent years, we have worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life and social well-being of our people, this goal being the driving force behind my administration,” the governor said. “An integral part of that process has been the development of the Child Welfare Prevention Plan, under the guidance of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, following the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, approved in 2018, and today we can announce to our people that we are the first territory that already has its plan approved by the federal government.”
With all the steps of the Family First Plan in place, the public policy of providing prevention and treatment services in key areas, such as mental health and substance abuse, home parenting skills, and family support, will now be implemented.
“The approval of our plan has very important effects, both in the implementation of the services contained in the plan and in the funds we can receive,” Pierluisi said. “For example, it allows us to retroactively recover for two years the agency’s services, which can bring about an additional $30 million per year to ADFAN, which would translate into greater services to our families. Likewise, not only the services offered to minors who are in foster care, but also to minors who are with their families and receive support services from the Department will be eligible for federal funding.”
Jones congratulated Puerto Rico for being the first United States territory “to have a completed and approved prevention plan.”
“Puerto Rico has taken advantage of the opportunity provided by Family First to use the Title IV-E child welfare prevention program and expand the services available to the communities that offer services, guaranteeing a better way to serve families on the island,” she said.
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