Allegheny County Deputy District Attorney Testifies in Congressional Hearing

Deputy District Attorney Laura Ditka gave her testimony at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing concerning the Education Begins at Home Act, a bill which provides at-home visitation from trained family resource personnel to troubled families. Ditka, the chief of Allegheny County's Child Abuse Unit, provided anecdotal evidence of the need for at-home visitation. She also provided statistics on families who already receive the visits. Ditka says that in houses where there has been visitation, 60% of children and 60% of mothers are no longer arrested. She urged committee members to enact the legislation to eliminate child abuse stemming from neglect by uneducated, ill-prepared parents.