<-1Recognizing ChildFirst PA for its commitment to training members
2of multidisciplinary investigative teams and nationally
3recognized child abuse forensic interview training program in
4Pennsylvania.

5WHEREAS, Children bring happiness into our lives and hope to
6our future; and

7WHEREAS, Children are our greatest resource and our most
8important responsibility; and

9WHEREAS, It is our responsibility as parents, friends,
10neighbors, citizens and lawmakers to nurture and protect
11children, providing an atmosphere of love and respect in which
12they are able to grow into healthy, well-adjusted and productive
13adults; and

14WHEREAS, We, as a legislative body, have an ongoing
15commitment to protect the rights and needs of children; and

16WHEREAS, Child abuse crosses all racial, economic and

1geographic boundaries and has reached epidemic proportions
2across this nation and throughout this Commonwealth; and

3WHEREAS, There were 26,664 cases of possible child abuse or
4maltreatment referred for investigation in this Commonwealth in
52012; and

6WHEREAS, There were 3,565 substantiated cases of child abuse
7and neglect in this Commonwealth in 2012; and

8WHEREAS, Thousands of Pennsylvanians in schools, social
9service agencies, churches and neighborhood groups throughout
10this Commonwealth are working hard to nurture and support the
11victims of child abuse and prevent future abuse; and

12WHEREAS, In spite of the dedication and sacrifice of these
13individuals, much more still needs to be done to guarantee a
14childhood free of abuse and victimization to every child in this
15Commonwealth; and

16WHEREAS, As a legislative body, we acknowledge that each
17county is required by the Child Protective Services Law to form
18and operate a multidisciplinary investigative team (MDIT); and

19WHEREAS, ChildFirst is a nationally recognized forensic
20interview training program developed by the National Child
21Protection and Training Center (NCPTC) and Cornerhouse; and

22WHEREAS, In July 2009, the Pennsylvania Children and Youth
23Solicitors Association applied to bring ChildFirst to
24Pennsylvania; and

25WHEREAS, ChildFirst PA is sponsored by the Pennsylvania
26Children and Youth Solicitors Association in collaboration with
27the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association and the
28Pennsylvania State Police; and

29WHEREAS, In March 2011, Pennsylvania became the 17th
30ChildFirst state; and

1WHEREAS, On December 12, 2011, House Resolution 522 of
2Session 2011 was passed, directing the formation of the
3Governor's Task Force on Child Protection to review the current
4child abuse-related statutes and to make recommendations on how
5to improve the child abuse system; and

6WHEREAS, On November 27, 2012, the Governor's Task Force on
7Child Protection submitted its report of more than 400 pages to
8the Governor; and

9WHEREAS, The Governor's Task Force on Child Protection
10acknowledged the need to have well-trained forensic interviewers
11who are prepared to interview a child alleged to be a victim of
12abuse in an age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate
13manner; and

14WHEREAS, The Governor's Task Force on Child Protection
15acknowledges the need for fully trained and functional MDITs in
16each county across this Commonwealth; and

17WHEREAS, ChildFirst PA has trained more than 28 of
18Pennsylvania's 67 counties and more than 300 professionals
19charged with the responsibility of investigating suspected child
20abuse; and

21WHEREAS, ChildFirst PA is anchored at the Pennsylvania State
22Police Academy and training centers across this Commonwealth;
23and

24WHEREAS, The ChildFirst PA motto should be considered at all
25times during a child abuse investigation and prosecution:

26"The Child is our first priority.

27It is not the needs of the family.

28Not the child's 'story.'

29Not the evidence.

30Not the needs of the courts.

1Not the needs of the police, Children and Youth
2Services or attorneys.

3The Child is our priority."

4; and

5WHEREAS, ChildFirst PA is the only nationally recognized
6forensic interview and MDIT training program in this
7Commonwealth; therefore be it

8RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
9ChildFirst PA as a recognized forensic interview training
10program and MDIT; and be it further

11RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives continue to do
12its part in support of the training done by ChildFirst PA; and
13be it further

14RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend the
15Pennsylvania Children and Youth Solicitors Association,
16Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association, Pennsylvania State
17Police, ChildFirst PA and all of its faculty who train the
18forensic interviewers and professional members of the
19multidisciplinary investigative teams to investigate suspected
20child abuse.

<-21Recognizing ChildFirst Pennsylvania for its forensic interviewer
22child abuse training program and commitment to training
23members of multi-disciplinary investigative teams in
24Pennsylvania.

25WHEREAS, ChildFirst is a nationally recognized forensic
26interview training program developed in partnership by
27CornerHouse, a child abuse training facility in Minneapolis,
28Minnesota, and the National Child Protection and Training Center
29(NCPTC); and

30WHEREAS, The ChildFirst program's purpose since 2003 has been
31to assist states in developing certified forensic interview
32training programs in cases of child abuse and to assist law

1enforcement, children and youth services workers and others in
2interviewing the alleged victims of child abuse in an age and
3developmentally appropriate manner; and

4WHEREAS, In July 2009, the Pennsylvania Children and Youth
5Solicitors Association first applied to bring ChildFirst to
6Pennsylvania; and

7WHEREAS, In March 2011, Pennsylvania became the 17th state in
8the nation to utilize the ChildFirst training; and

9WHEREAS, ChildFirst Pennsylvania training has since been used
10in more than 28 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, with more than
11300 professionals charged with the responsibility of
12investigating suspected child abuse having undergone the
13extensive five-day training course, written examination and
14certification process; and

15WHEREAS, ChildFirst Pennsylvania has been an invaluable
16training tool for the multi-disciplinary investigative teams in
17the Commonwealth; therefore be it

18RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize
19ChildFirst Pennsylvania as a recognized respected forensic
20interviewer and multi-disciplinary investigative team training
21program; and be it further

22RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend the
23faculty members who deliver the ChildFirst Pennsylvania training
24to those who investigate suspected child abuse in this
25Commonwealth; and be it further

26RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives commend the
27Pennsylvania Children and Youth Solicitors Association for
28working collaboratively with the Pennsylvania District Attorneys
29Association and the Pennsylvania State Police to bring the
30ChildFirst training program to this Commonwealth.