Quick Action
Paul LePage has instructed DHHS to end funding for the Community Partnership for Protecting Children at a time when child abuse rates in Maine are on the rise. Contact your local reps and urge them to continue funding the program and to address the lack of funding and resources within DHHS.
Health Care, Reproductive Rights & Disability Rights Working Group C2A
THE ISSUE
At a time when Mainers are reeling over the deaths of two young girls due to child abuse, Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recently announced plans to discontinue funding the Community Partnership for Protecting Children. The program addresses underlying causes of child abuse in Maine through a network of social service providers, law enforcement, schools, and communities in 12 counties, by strengthening families and protecting children. In South Portland alone, more than 1,600 people receive help each year. The LePage administration claims the initiative is redundant to the Child Abuse and Neglect Councils of Maine run by the Maine Department of Corrections. LePage also claims that the program is not evidence based, despite the CDC listing the kind of work CPPC does as a science based protective factor in reducing cases of abuse. Maine’s two recent child abuse deaths are raising questions about inadequate resources within LePage’s DHHS system, adding to the Governor’s long and shameful record of neglecting the welfare of Maine’s most vulnerable children. Poverty is a major contributing factor to abuse and neglect of children, significantly increasing the risk of fatality in abuse cases. Under LePage:
Maine’s child poverty rate increased 8 times faster than the national average
Cases of confirmed child abuse have increased by 52%
Maine is the only state in the nation where infant mortality has increased
1 in 5 Maine children suffer food insecurity
THE ACTION
Contact your local reps and urge them to renew the $2.2 million in funding for the Community Partnership for Protecting Children, and to take immediate action to address funding shortages within DHHS.
Speak out about this issue on social media! When you do, use the hashtag #ProtectMaineChildren to show your support for CPPC.
Suit Up Maine is an independent, all-volunteer grassroots progressive group that seeks to build a more informed and engaged electorate in Maine. Founded in 2016, Suit Up Maine is run by and for Mainers, and is not engaged in fundraising of any kind. Representing thousands of constituents across Maine’s 16 counties, Suit Up Maine raises awareness of and advocates for policies and legislation that promote equity and equality in civil rights, social justice, health care, the environment, education, the economy, and other areas that affect the lives of all people. Suit Up Maine is beholden to issues and action, not parties or politicians.
