About Us
Our Vision
A South Dakota where families, communities, and systems work together so every child is safe, supported, and able to thrive.
Our Mission
CPCM improves outcomes for children and families by strengthening the capacity of professionals, organizations, and communities to prevent, recognize, and respond to child maltreatment.
About Us
In 2014, the South Dakota Legislature convened the Jolene’s Law Task Force to study the prevalence and impact of child sexual abuse in our state. The Task Force, named in honor of Jolene Loetscher, a survivor who became a leading advocate for change, brought together legislators, physicians, law enforcement, tribal community representatives, child advocacy professionals, and state agency leaders to understand the full scope of the problem and recommend solutions.
What they found was sobering. Research from 2016 reflected that at least 4,000 children in South Dakota experience sexual abuse every year. Child sexual abuse occurs in every county in the state, across all socioeconomic and racial groups. The vast majority of cases involve someone known to the child. And the long-term consequences for individual health, family stability, and community well-being are profound and lasting.
The Task Force issued 34 recommendations. Among the most significant: establish a statewide academic center dedicated to preventing and responding to child maltreatment. In 2017, that recommendation became a reality. The Center for the Prevention of Child Maltreatment (CPCM) was established within the University of South Dakota’s School of Health Sciences, built on the foundation the Task Force laid, and committed to carrying that work forward.
Since our founding, CPCM has grown alongside the needs of South Dakota’s children and families. We have trained tens of thousands of professionals and community members, launched statewide data initiatives, partnered with Tribal Nations, supported foster families, and worked alongside legislators, educators, medical providers, and child advocacy professionals across every corner of the state. The work has evolved, but the commitment has never changed: every child in South Dakota deserves to be safe, supported, and able to thrive.
Nearly a decade in, CPCM remains guided by the same foundational question the Task Force asked in 2015: what does South Dakota need to truly protect its children? The answer continues to shape everything we do — from the training we offer, to the data we analyze, to the partnerships we build. Our vision and mission reflect that ongoing commitment.
