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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, April 2, 2007
Contact: Tara Wall
(202) 401-9215
ACF Marks Child Abuse Prevention Month With Annual
Child Maltreatment Report
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Department of Health and Human
Services’ (HHS’) Administration for Children and Families (ACF)
released its annual report on child maltreatment as it kicks off Child Abuse
Prevention Month. The Child Maltreatment 2005 report findings reveal that
during the Federal fiscal year 2005, an estimated 899,000 children in the
50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico were determined to be
victims of abuse or neglect.
“Every child deserves a safe and stable family life,” said HHS
Secretary Mike Leavitt. “The data that have been gathered in this
report emphasize the critical need to support evidence-based programs and
strategies to make this possible.”
Administration for Children, Youth and Families Commissioner Joan Ohl added,
“The release of these latest statistics is a reminder that we must
continue our strong commitment to finding solutions, mobilizing communities,
and partnering with families to prevent child abuse and neglect.”
President’s Bush’s proposed budget for FY 2008 reflects this
commitment by requesting a $10 million increase for competitive grants to
encourage States to better coordinate existing funding sources to successfully
implement and sustain evidence-based, nurse home visitation programs.
“Research shows that these programs can reduce the incidence of child
abuse and neglect and improve other important outcomes for mothers and children,
including school readiness and prenatal health,” Ohl said.
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Children’s Bureau
hosts its 16th National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect on April 16-17
in Portland, Oregon. This year’s theme is “Protecting Children,
Promoting Healthy Families, and Preserving Communities,” which reflects
our resolve to ensure that every child enjoys a healthy family life in a
nurturing community. The conference also serves to promote the idea of communities
joining to establish collaborative relationships and strategies to prevent
child maltreatment and provide responsive services and treatment.
The statistics are based on information collected through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, a voluntary data collection system. The estimated number of victims reported for FY 2005 is approximately 20,000 more than the number reported from 2004, largely due to an increase in the number of states providing data for the first time.
The full report, “Child Maltreatment 2005” is available at:
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm05/index.htm
The Children’s Bureau Community Resource Packet for child abuse prevention
is available at:
http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/res_packet_2007/.
Additional resources are available from the Prevention website at the Child Welfare Information Gateway at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/preventing/
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