Child Maltreatment: Referral Requirements under CAPTA and IDEA
Children under the age of three years of age account for over one-quarter of the victims of child maltreatment. The highest rate of maltreatment is for children under the age of 1. Infants and toddlers who are the subject of a substantiated case of abuse or neglect or are identified as affected by illegal substance abuse or withdrawal symptoms as a result of prenatal drug exposure must be referred to early Intervention/Part C of IDEA. There are two sets of federal laws that apply, which are described in this resource.
Explore More
Moving Away from Family Separation: Cross-Systems Strategies to Support Young Children at Risk of Child Welfare Involvement
Report March 12, 2026
Between October 2024 and April 2025, the BUILD Initiative hosted a six-part webinar series, offered through BUILD’s Prenatal-to-Three Capacity Building Hub. This report provides key learnings and highlights from the webinar series.
Community Births – A Solution to Maternity Care Deserts
Archived Webinar March 3, 2026
According to the March of Dimes 2024 report, "Nowhere to Go: Maternity Care Deserts Across the United States," 1,104 counties, or about 35% of the nation’s 3,142 counties, are designated as Maternity Care Deserts.
Evidence for Expanded Access to Head Start and Early Head Start
Blog February 27, 2026
Head Start and Early Head Start have been proven effective for supporting young children’s development, and their parents, for many years. But did you know that Head Start and Early Head Start can reduce child maltreatment and child welfare system involvement?