SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Safe Babies Act of 
2009’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Children 3 years of age and younger have 
the highest rates of victimization. Children under the 
age of 1 are nearly twice as likely as all other chil-
dren to become victims of child maltreatment while 
children ages 1 through 3 have the next highest rate 
of victimization. Children ages 3 and younger are 
also twice as likely to be placed in foster care as 
children of any other age. Once placed in foster care, 
children 3 years of age and younger are more likely 
than older children to be abused and neglected, and 
they tend to stay in foster care longer than older 
children. 
(2) Infants and toddlers are the most vulner-
able to the effects of maltreatment. Research shows 
that young children who have experienced physical 
abuse have lower social competence, show less empa-
thy for others, and have difficulty recognizing oth-
ers’ emotions. They are also more likely than chil-
dren who have not been maltreated to have deficits 
in IQ scores, language ability, and school perform-
ance. 
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(3) Research shows that the human brain in-
creases in weight from 26 percent of its adult weight 
at birth to 74 percent by the age of 3. During those 
early years, the brain is developing most of its basic 
capacity, which substantially predicts future achieve-
ment or failure. Therefore, infants and toddlers who 
have been maltreated and placed in foster care are 
spending the most critical developmental period in 
situations that may be detrimental to healthy growth 
and development. 
(4) Substance abuse is a factor in as many as 
67 percent of child maltreatment cases. Every year, 
more than 2.6 million babies are born to mothers 
who drank alcohol during pregnancy and 40,000 of 
those babies are born displaying identifiable birth 
defects; thousands more suffer ill effects that are 
not readily apparent. More than 2 million children 
under 6 live with one or more alcoholic parents. 
Some 460,000 babies are exposed to illegal drugs in 
utero each year. Poly drug use is the rule rather 
than the exception, and users typically ingest alco-
hol, illegal, and prescription drugs. Thus, while re-
search has identified the effects of prenatal alcohol 
exposure, it is difficult to ascertain the effects of 
prenatal exposure to other specific substances (i.e., 
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methamphetamines, 
cocaine, 
and 
other 
illegal 
drugs). Alcohol is the only mood altering substance 
that is used in isolation from others and the effects 
have been well documented through the literature on 
fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Maternal substance 
abuse during pregnancy affects the health of the 
baby at birth and in the months and years that fol-
low. It contributes to preterm birth, low birth 
weight, developmental delays and disabilities. Active 
substance abuse by parents after birth can create a 
risk of imminent harm to a child. 
(5) Children under the age of 4 account for 78 
percent of child fatalities, and children under the 
age of 1 account for 44 percent of such fatalities. 
(6) Child welfare systems are not meeting the 
needs of the children who rely on public intervention 
to protect them. According to the first round of 
Child and Family Services Reviews completed by the 
Administration for Children and Families, no State 
had achieved all of the specified outcomes on the 
Child and Family Services Review indicators, and all 
of the States failed to meet the outcome related to 
the provision of physical and mental health services 
to children in foster care. 
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(7) Judges can be powerful catalysts for change 
in the way communities address the needs of mal-
treated infants and toddlers. A project in the Juve-
nile Court of the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa has 
combined the leadership of a family court judge with 
expertise in early childhood development. Such col-
laboration is currently underway in other local juris-
dictions across the country, with many more seeking 
to create similar projects. These projects are work-
ing to ensure that mental health and parenting 
intervention services are provided for parents and 
children together. 
SEC. 3. COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED INFANTS AND 
TODDLERS. 
Title II of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Pre-
vention Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5611 et seq.) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating part F as part G; and 
(2) by inserting after part E the following new 
part: 
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‘‘PART F—COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED 
INFANTS AND TODDLERS 
‘‘SEC. 271. COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED INFANTS AND 
TODDLERS PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. 
‘‘The Administrator is authorized to establish a pro-
gram to create and provide technical assistance for local 
Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers (re-
ferred to in this part as ‘Court Teams’) for the purpose 
of— 
‘‘(1) promoting the well-being of maltreated in-
fants and toddlers and their families (including the 
special problems created by substance abuse, par-
ticularly alcohol and methamphetamine abuse); 
‘‘(2) helping to prevent the recurrence of abuse 
and neglect of children; and 
‘‘(3) promoting timely reunification of families 
or other successful permanency outcomes for mal-
treated infants and toddlers in foster care. 
‘‘SEC. 272. NATIONAL COURT TEAMS FOR MALTREATED IN-
FANTS AND TODDLERS RESOURCE CENTER 
GRANT. 
‘‘(a) GRANT AUTHORIZED.—The Administrator shall 
award a grant for the purpose of establishing a National 
Court Teams for Maltreated Infants and Toddlers Re-
source Center (referred to in this part as the National 
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