NCJ Number
232217
Date Published
2010
Length
182 pages
Annotation
This report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, presents national and State data on child maltreatment that is collected by the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS).
Abstract
Major findings from the data collected for FY 2008 include: an estimated 3.3 million referrals involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6 million children were received by child protection services (CPS) agencies; maltreatment was substantiated in approximately 24 percent of the referrals; almost 60 percent of the referrals for alleged child abuse or neglect were made by professionals (teachers, police officers, lawyers, or social services staff); an estimated 772,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect, with the highest rate of victimization occurring in the birth to 1 year age group; more than half of the victims (51.3 percent) were girls and almost half (45.1 percent) were White; the most common form of maltreatment was neglect; and approximately 80 percent of the perpetrators of maltreatment were parents. Data for this report were obtained from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), a federally sponsored effort that collects and analyzes annual data on child abuse and neglect. All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Territories have mandatory child abuse and neglect reporting laws that require certain professionals and institutions to report suspected maltreatment to a child protective services (CPS) agency. The data collected by these agencies is provided to the NCANDS. This report presents the results of the data collection and analyses on the national and State data on child maltreatment during FY 2008. The report is divided into seven chapters that present information on NCANDS and the data collection process; referrals; the child victims; child fatalities; the perpetrators; available services; and additional research related to child maltreatment. Figures, tables, and appendixes