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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. Examples of these mandatory reporters include health care providers and facilities, mental health care providers, teachers and other school staff, social workers, police officers, foster care providers, and daycare providers. The initial report of suspected child abuse or neglect is called a referral. Approximately one-third of referrals are screened out each year and do not receive further attention from CPS. The remaining referrals are "screened in" and an investigation or assessment is conducted by the CPS agency to determine the likelihood that maltreatment has occurred or that the child is at risk of maltreatment. After conducting interviews with family members, the alleged victim, and other people familiar with the family, the CPS agency makes a determination or finding concerning whether the child is a victim of abuse or neglect or is at risk of abuse or neglect. This determination often is called a disposition. Each State establishes specific dispositions and terminology.
Each State has its own definitions of child abuse and neglect based on minimum standards set by Federal law. Federal legislation provides a foundation for States by identifying a minimum set of acts or behaviors that define child abuse and neglect. The Federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), (42 U.S.C.A. §5106g), as amended by the Keeping Children and Families Safe Act of 2003, defines child abuse and neglect as:
Within the minimum standards set by CAPTA, each State is responsible for providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect. Most States recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse. Although any of the forms of child maltreatment may be found separately, they also can occur in combination.
NCANDS is a federally sponsored effort that collects and analyzes annual data on child abuse and neglect. The 1988 CAPTA directed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish a national data collection and analysis program. The Children's Bureau in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, collects and analyzes the data.
The data are submitted voluntarily by the States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The first report from NCANDS was based on data for 1990; the report for 2006 data is the 17th issuance of this annual report.
Data are used for the annual report, Child Maltreatment, which is released each spring. In addition, data are used in several efforts by the Children's Bureau to measure the impact and effectiveness of CPS. Data from NCANDS are used in the Child and Family Services Reviews of the States, in the Child Welfare Outcomes: Annual Report to Congress, and in the Program Assessment Rating Tool.
NCANDS collects case-level data on all children who received an investigation or assessment by a CPS agency. States that are unable to provide case-level data submit aggregated counts of key indicators.
Case-level data include information on the characteristics of referrals of abuse or neglect that are made to CPS agencies, the children referred, the types of maltreatment that are alleged, the dispositions (or findings) of the investigations, the risk factors of the child and the caregivers, the services that are provided, and the perpetrators.
Restricted usage files of State case-level data are available for researchers from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at www.ndacan.cornell.edu. In addition, aggregated counts of key indicators by State are available for 1990–2006.
The Child Maltreatment reports are available on the Internet at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/index.htm#can.
During Federal fiscal year 2006, an estimated 3.3 million referrals, involving the alleged maltreatment of approximately 6.0 million children, were made to CPS agencies. An estimated 3.6 million children received an investigation or assessment.
For 2006, more than one-half of all reports (56.3%) of alleged child abuse or neglect were made by professionals. The term professional means that the person had contact with the alleged child maltreatment victim as part of the report source's job. This term includes teachers, police officers, lawyers, and social services staff. The remaining reports were made by nonprofessionals, including friends, neighbors, sports coaches, and relatives.
During 2006, an estimated 905,000 children were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. Among the children confirmed as victims by CPS agencies in 2006:
As in prior years, neglect was the most common form of child maltreatment. CPS investigations determined that:
Child fatalities are the most tragic consequence of maltreatment. Yet, each year children die from abuse and neglect. During 2006:
In 2006, nearly 80 percent (79.4%) of perpetrators of child maltreatment were parents, and another 6.7 percent were other relatives of the victim. Women comprised a larger percentage of all perpetrators than men, 57.9 percent compared to 42.1 percent. More than 75 percent (77.5%) of all perpetrators were younger than age 40.
During an investigation, CPS agencies provide services to children and their families, both in the home and in foster care.
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