Continuing to improve the system of sharing information for suspected child abuse cases, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) awards $200,000 to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, with additional funding available for more counties to apply.
Known as the Electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report (SCAR) System, this new electronic system will be used by district attorney offices, local law enforcement, and county child welfare services departments to improve the sharing of information for suspected child abuse cases.
“Cal OES is proud to support local partners as they implement a more accurate and efficient reporting system to combat child abuse in California,” said Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci.
The current process of tracking a suspected child abuse report is manual entry into a database, which often creates a duplication of efforts across each involved agency because each agency enters the report in their own database.
The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office received the first grant, with $400,000 still available to go to two additional counties.
“With funding from this Cal OES grant, we will be able to make the technological advancement needed in the current Suspected Child Abuse Report process,” said Assistant Chief Deputy District Attorney Dawn Bladet. “Establishing an electronic SCAR system will allow us to work more efficiently and increase information sharing with local enforcement and our child welfare partners to identify and prevent suspected child abuse.”
About the Electronic Suspected Child Abuse Report System
The electronic reporting system will have several key benefits including:
- Eliminating the need of a hardcopy form, resulting in an effective, consistent, and timely sharing of the report.
- Improving communication, information sharing, and collaboration.
- Eliminating separate, manual processes that result in assigning cases faster.
- Allowing agencies to retain historical information on previously submitted reports, which will help the involved agencies determine the level of risk to children when assessing reports of suspected child abuse and neglect.
Seeking Additional Applications
Cal OES hopes to fund two more eligible counties with $200,000 in grant funding through the next request for proposal.
Eligible counties may apply by March 23, 2022 here.
This is one of many grants possible thanks to the support of the Office of Grants Management’s Victim Services Branch (VSB). VSB administers state and federal funds to state, local, and community-based victim services and criminal justice organizations. Click here for more information about the VSB. If you’re interested in being notified when new VSB funding opportunities are released, please join the VSB listserv by clicking here.
About Cal OES Grants Management
The California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Grants Management Division is responsible for the administration of approximately $1 billion in funds for homeland security, emergency management, public safety, and victim services programs. The majority of these grants are distributed to local and regional entities to enable the most effective prevention, detection, response and recovery efforts to disasters and other threats to communities. Improving and enhancing local agencies’ capabilities through grant funding is one of Cal OES’s most important missions.