The Federal Government cannot create child abuse laws. Child abuse law is developed by each State. Many states throughout the United States rely heavily on Federal grants in order to maintain an effective child welfare system. In some States, such as New Mexico, up to three quarters of funding for child abuse prevention, protection, education, and foster care comes from the Federal Government through the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003.

This Act requires that a State provide any Government agency with access to private data and information, if they should request it. This 2003 Act also requires that states develop child abuse laws that require all potential adoptive parents and foster parents to undergo thorough background checks. These states may have originally had no intention of adopting these child abuse laws.

However, if the State is dependent on Federal funding for child abuse education and prevention, as well as child protection, then that State will have to develop the child abuse laws that are outlined in the eligibility requirements. In this way, the Federal Government is able to successfully affect the child abuse laws in a specific State.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2000 recognized that in many cases, financial assistance is needed to help prevent and report instances of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.

This financial assistance is also permitted to be utilized for the establishment of programs that are aimed at education and child abuse prevention. With access to these funds, states should have increased efficiency and success in preventing and ending child abuse.

Child abuse is not something that can be ignored, and the 2000 Act ensures that financial stress is not one of the reasons that State law enforcement agencies fail to respond to reported child abuse. The Child Abuse Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2000 helps to ensure that children who are suffering from abuse or neglect receive adequate care and treatment.

The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Amendments of 1996 confronted problems related to the safety of a child once it has been discovered that they have been subjected to abuse. In many instances, children who were suffering from one of the various types of abuse were not being removed from their home or their parents continued to maintain parental rights over the child for a period of time that was unacceptable.

Delaying the abolition of parental rights in cases of child abuse can be detrimental to the child and may interfere with child abuse treatment. The 1996 Amendments required that states establish an accelerated procedure for the termination of parental rights, specifically in situations in which a parent abandons the child.