NCJ Number
121459
Date Published
1988
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report is a summary of findings regarding child abuse and neglect-related child deaths in Washington State which occurred between April 1, 1986 and April 1, 1988.
Abstract
Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) regional administrators compiled a list of all child deaths on open cases or on cases which had been open within one year of the child's death. These lists of child deaths were used to identify 45 abuse and neglect-related child deaths. Major findings of this study are that: most child victims were 0-2 and were the only child or the youngest in the family; most parents were 23-30 years of age, married or living with a boyfriend or girlfriend, on public assistance and/or unemployed; and, approximately half of the families contained an adult with a substance abuse problem. Major recommendations include improving the system for collecting and storing information on child fatality cases, and communicating with law enforcement and prosecutors' offices around the State concerning the need to identify and refer to Child Protective Services child deaths related to child neglect.