Child Abuse and Neglect
One of the most important measures of a government is how it cares for its children. Child abuse and neglect occur in every segment of society, and are often the result of parents who were themselves abused or who do not have the resources to cope with difficult situations. Virginia emphasizes parental outreach and education as well as protection of abused children. The Commonwealth's approach has resulted in an abuse rate that is substantially lower than the national average.
Why is This Important?
In Virginia, a child is abused or neglected every 75 minutes, and every 14 days a child dies from such mistreatment. The immediate impact of abuse or neglect on a child is tragic, but so, too, are the long-term consequences -- affecting children, their communities and the Commonwealth as a whole. Child abuse is often hidden, may occur over time, and is usually preventable.
How is Virginia Doing?
Virginia has a relatively low child maltreatment rate, ranking 5th lowest in the United States for substantiated cases of abuse. Nationally, the child maltreatment rate was 10.6 substantiated cases per 1,000 children in 2007. Virginia's rate was much lower, at 3.5 cases per 1,000 children for the same year. Pennsylvania's rate of 1.5 was the lowest in the nation.
Compared to its peer states, Virginia's rate was lower than that of North Carolina (11.7), and Tennessee (10.9). Data for Maryland was not available for 2007, but in 2005 its rate was 10.6. However, it is difficult to compare child maltreatment statistics across states because there is great variation in state laws, definitions, standards of evidence, and record keeping. It is estimated that up to 60% of child fatalities due to abuse are incorrectly reported as accidents or other incidents.
In Virginia in 2007, there were 46,511 children reported as possible victims of abuse and neglect. 6,487 of these were founded reports, meaning that a review of the facts gathered during an investigation met the standard of evidence required in Virginia. Fifty-five percent of the children experiencing maltreatment were under the age of 7, and 76% were under the age of 12. Within Virginia, in 2008 the Northern region had the lowest rate of child maltreatment at 1.7 per 1,000 children. West Central and Southwest regions had the highest rates, with 6.0 and 8.6 substantiated cases per 1,000 children, respectively. The average Virginia rate was 3.3 per 1,000 children.
What Influences Child Abuse and Neglect?
Child abuse and neglect are not confined to any particular socioeconomic class, race or ethnicity, or religion. Children younger than 4 are at the greatest risk of severe injury or death. There are a number of situations that place children at particular risk for being abused or neglected, including:
- Parents who were abused as children themselves
- Teenage parents
- Parental or family substance abuse
- Parental depression, stress or other mental health problems
- Family violence, such as intimate partner violence
- Unemployment and poverty
- Community violence
- Family isolation
- Lack of parental knowledge of child development and understanding children's needs
- Lack of caregiver support for dealing with children with disabilities or developmental delays.
What is the State's Role?
The Child Protective Services (CPS) Unit at the Virginia Department of Social Services:
- operates a 24-hour child abuse and neglect hotline
- administers grant monies to prevent and treat child abuse
- develops statewide public awareness and education programs
- maintains a database of offenders and victims of child abuse and neglect.
Increasing awareness and public education have been shown to increase the percentage of cases reported.
Local social services departments are responsible for receiving reports of abuse and neglect and for conducting investigations or family assessments for valid CPS reports; and for providing services that enhance child safety and prevent further abuse.
Data and Definitions
State Data:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Administration for Children & Families,
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm05/
(updated annually in
May)
It is important to note that comparing rates with other states must be done with extreme caution, as statistics often reflect definitions and court practices that differ from state to state.
Regional Data:
Virginia Department
of Social Services,
www.dss.virginia.gov/geninfo/reports/children/cps/all_other.cgi
(updated annually
in October)
Note: Alleged incidents of child maltreatment in Virginia may be referred for investigation or family assessment.
Prevention:
- Child Welfare
Information
Gateway
www.childwelfare.gov - Guterman, N.B., Stopping Child Maltreatment Before It Starts: Emerging Horizons in Early Home Visitation Services. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001.
- Thomas,
Leicht,
Hughes,
Madigan,
Dowell.
(2003).
Emerging
Practice
in the
Prevention
of Child
Abuse
and Neglect.
National
Clearninghouse
on Child
Abuse
and Neglect
Information.
www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/programs/whatworks/report/index.cfm
Consequences:
- National
Research
Council,
Understanding
Child
Abuse
and Neglect.
Washington,
DC: National
Academy
Press,
1993.
www.nap.edu/books/0309048893/html/ - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Child Maltreatment 2003 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2005).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Child Maltreatment; Fact Sheet. Accessed April 11, 2005.
- CDC Children's
Bureau,
Table
3-4, Victimization
Trends,
2001-2005
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm05/table3_4.htm
Child Maltreatment 2005
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm#can - Tjaden
P, Thoennes
N. (November
2005).
Full report
of the
prevalence,
incidence,
and consequences
of violence
against
women:
findings
from the
National
Violence
Against
Women
Survey.
Washington
(DC):
National
Institute
of Justice,
Report
No.: NCJ
183721.
www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/183781.pdf - "Long-term
Consequences
of Child
Abuse
and Neglect",
National
Clearinghouse
on Child
Abuse
and Neglect
Information
(2005).
www.childprotectionoffice.org/pdf/long_term_consequences.pdf - "The Long-Term Sequelae of Child and Adolescent Abuse: A Longitudinal Community Study," Child Abuse and Neglect, Col. 20. No. 8, pp. 709-723, 1996.
- "In the Wake of Childhood Maltreatment", Juvenile Justice Bulletin, August 1997
- "The Cycle of Violence Revisited", Research Preview, National Institute of Justice, February 1996.
- "Preschool Antecedents of Adolescent Assaultive Behavior: A Longitudinal Study", Herrenkohl, Roy C., Ph.D., Egolf, Brenda P., Kerrenkohl, Ellen C., Ph.D., America Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 67(3), July 1997.
- "The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study", American Journal of Preventive Medicine 1998; vol. 14 no. 4 pp. 245-258.
- "Total
Estimated
Cost of
Child
Abuse
and Neglect
in the
United
States:
Statistical
Evidence",
Fromm,
Suzette
(2001).
(221k
PDF)
member.preventchildabuse.org/site/DocServer/cost_analysis.pdf?docID=144 - Child Trends
Databank
www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/40ChildMaltreatment.cfm
See the Data Sources and Updates Calendar for a detailed list of the data resources used for indicator measures on Virginia Performs.
