Officials at the Iowa Department of Human Services say Iowans have contributed tens of thousands of dollars for child abuse prevention since a new tax checkoff program went into effect this year. Spokesman Roger Munns says the funds will help alleviate budget cuts at D.H.S.
“Something like $56,000 has been collected and we anticipate that it will generate about $70,000 this year,” Munns says. Munns says child abuse prevention will still receive about one million dollars, but some funds will be cut in order to avoid laying off frontline staff.
Munns says, “By that I mean our assessment workers who actually go out and determine if there was abuse and then the case managers who help the families once abuse has been determined.” Munns says they have already eliminated the positions of 80 investigators and case workers. The tax checkoff dollars go directly to the private social service agency Prevent Child Abuse Iowa.