34 U.S.C. § 20301 — Findings

over 3,400,000 reports of suspected child abuse^* and neglect are made each year;

the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases is extremely complex, involving numerous agencies and dozens of personnel;

a key to a child victim healing from abuse is access to supportive and healthy families and communities;

traditionally, community agencies and professionals have different roles in the prevention, investigation, and intervention process;

in such cases, too often the system does not pay sufficient attention to the needs and welfare of the child victim, aggravating the trauma that the child victim has already experienced;

there is a national need to enhance coordination among community agencies and professionals involved in the intervention system;

multidisciplinary child abuse investigation and prosecution programs have been developed that increase the reporting of child abuse cases, reduce the trauma to the child victim, improve positive outcomes for the child, and increase the successful prosecution of child abuse offenders;

such programs have proven effective, and with targeted Federal assistance, have expanded dramatically throughout the United States; and

State chapters of children’s advocacy center networks are needed to—