PROTECTMOAct before
harm grows
Lead story•PROTECT · Parents & Communities•Missouri
Missouri law creates a specific grooming-or-enticement offense
Law effective August 28; status rechecked September 2, 2026
Missouri’s revised grooming-or-enticement statute, known as Evie and Sophie’s Law, is now in effect. It applies when a person more than four years older than a minor knowingly tries or succeeds in persuading, soliciting, coaxing, enticing or luring the minor, with the intent specified in the law, toward sexual conduct, a sexual performance or a commercial sex act.
What the law does—and does not doThis is enacted Missouri law, not a proposal or a national rule. The statute authorizes five to 30 years in prison, with a 10-year minimum when the conduct results in the specified sexual conduct, performance or commercial sex act. Ordinary adult-minor communication is not automatically criminal: prosecutors must prove the age gap, knowing conduct and statutory intent. An accusation or charge is not a conviction. Families should respond to a concerning disclosure without blame, preserve safe identifying details, avoid downloading or forwarding sexual images, and use 911 for immediate danger or NCMEC’s CyberTipline for suspected online exploitation.
Why it mattersThe law is designed to allow intervention before further sexual harm occurs. It also requires restitution after a conviction and directs a state committee to develop public and professional guidance on recognizing, responding to and investigating grooming.
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MOBILIZE · Parents & Advocates•California
California companion-chatbot safeguards await the governor
Legislature passed the bill August 31; status rechecked September 2, 2026
California lawmakers have passed SB 1119, known as Adam’s Law, and the measure is heading to the governor for a decision. If signed, it would require operators of covered companion chatbots to assess child-safety risks, undergo independent audits and provide protective defaults, crisis resources, parental controls and clear reminders that a child is interacting with artificial intelligence. Core requirements would begin July 1, 2027.
Why it mattersThe bill is not law yet, and families have no new duty today. While it is pending, caregivers can review memory, notification and time-limit settings, explain that a chatbot is not a person or emergency professional, and agree on a trusted adult a child can contact when an interaction becomes upsetting or unsafe. Watch for the governor’s decision by September 30 and, if signed, implementation details and legal challenges.
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PREVENT · Educators & Professionals•New York
New York mandated reporters face an updated child-abuse training deadline
Training deadline November 17; resources rechecked September 2, 2026
New York requires covered mandated reporters—including people who completed earlier training—to complete an updated child-abuse identification and reporting curriculum by November 17, 2026. The update adds guidance on recognizing possible abuse or maltreatment involving children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. State-approved providers have offered the revised curriculum since September 1, 2025, with fall 2026 sessions now available.
Why it mattersEducators, healthcare professionals and other covered workers should check their training date and record with an approved provider or the appropriate state system. Some people trained from November 1, 2022, through August 31, 2025, may qualify for a short addendum; later approved training may already comply. Training supports recognition and reporting—it does not authorize a reporter to investigate. Watch for provider availability before the deadline and follow the current official reporting process when reasonable suspicion arises.
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RESTORE · Child-Serving Organizations•United States; Iowa plan approved, implementation pending
Federal funding pathway expands for family-based addiction recovery
Clearinghouse ratings and Iowa plan approval announced August 18; status rechecked September 2, 2026
The federal Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse has rated Family-Based Recovery and the Wellness Recovery Action Plan as supported services. That creates a pathway for participating states and tribes to claim federal matching funds when the services are included in an approved prevention plan. Iowa received approval first, but officials said local implementation still requires planning.
Why it mattersFor eligible families, Family-Based Recovery brings intensive treatment, parent-child support and case management into the homes of parents with substance-use disorders who have children ages 0–5. A randomized study found lower out-of-home placement than usual care, but no difference in child-protective-services re-referrals; it does not prove that the program prevents every placement or maltreatment report. Families should ask a caseworker or qualified local provider what is actually available, while agencies watch for state or tribal plan approvals and local rollout.
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EQUIP · Families & First Responders•United States
Federal partners begin autism-informed missing-person initiative
Federal initiative announced August 21; status rechecked September 2, 2026
Federal health, justice and emergency-management agencies have begun developing a National Autism Missing and Endangered Person Alert Initiative. The work is intended to improve existing missing-person alerts and searches through guidance, message templates, training, data improvements and autism-informed practices. It is not a new nationwide autism-specific alert that families can activate today.
Why it mattersState, tribal, territorial and local authorities will retain alert decisions, so implementation will depend on future guidance and local adoption. If an autistic loved one goes missing, HHS says to call 911 immediately, identify the person as high-risk and autistic, and share communication needs, behaviors, attraction to water and other known risks. An individualized safety plan—and, when appropriate, privacy-conscious location technology—can supplement but not replace supervision, planning or 911. Watch for federal templates, responder training and local adoption.
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