NCJ Number
236792
Date Published
2010
Length
227 pages
Annotation
These national and State statistics on child maltreatment come from data received in 2009 from 52 States, and case-level data were received from 50 States, including the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Abstract
Each State has its own definitions of child abuse and neglect; however, they are based on standards set by Federal law. Federal legislation defines child abuse and neglect as at a minimum "Any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation; or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm." Most States recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. According to the State data received by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), during Federal fiscal year 2009, an estimated 3.3 million referrals that involved the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6.0 million children were received by child protective services (CPS) agencies. Of these referrals, 61.9 percent were screened in for a response by CPS agencies; one-quarter of the CPS responses determined that at least one child had been abused and neglected; 75 percent of the CPS responses determined that the child was not a victim of maltreatment. For 2009, professionals submitted three-fifths of reports. These are persons who encountered the alleged child victim as part of their occupational activities. Children ages birth to 1 year had the highest rate of victimization at 20.6 per 1,000 children of the same age group in the national population. As in previous years, the greatest percentage of children maltreated suffered from neglect. The rate of child fatalities was 2.34 per 100,000 children. Data also address victim and perpetrator characteristics. Extensive tables and figures