Supporting Safer Lives for Children

HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Wade F. Horn, Ph.D. (pictured left), met with Maryland Governor Robert L. Ehrlich (right), Maryland Secretary of Human Resources Christopher J. McCabe (second from left) and Director of the Annapolis Family Support Center Rachel Qualls in recognition of National Child Abuse Prevention Month, which began April 1.

The event took place at the Annapolis Family Support Center in Maryland April 4 and highlighted efforts to assure children and families live safer and healthier lives.

The theme of this year’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month is “Safe Children and Healthy Families are a Shared Responsibility.” Dr. Horn released the “Child Maltreatment 2004” report, the latest national data collected through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System on child abuse, maltreatment and neglect. The data show a decline in instances of child abuse nationwide from last year’s report.

An estimated 872,000 children across the country were victims of abuse or neglect in 2004 according to national data. This number, which is 34,000 lower than last year’s statistic, indicates that about 11.9 out of every 1,000 children were victims of abuse or neglect, compared to last year’s victimization rate of 12.4 per 1,000 children.

“The news is encouraging for children, our most valuable resource, who are deserving of safe and stable homes,” HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. “As the rates of abuse and neglect drop nationwide, we must find solutions to continue this trend.”

The statistics are based on information collected through the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. The data show that child protective service agencies received about three million reports of possible maltreatment in 2004. Of the 872,000 substantiated cases of maltreatment of children, the majority (64.5 percent) involved cases of neglect. For 2004, an estimated 1,490 children died; more than 80 percent of them were under four years. More than one-third of the fatalities were attributed to neglect.

“The decline in the number of children who are victims of maltreatment is a positive development,” said Dr. Horn. “Nevertheless, we cannot tolerate the abuse of even one child. The Bush Administration will continue to work closely in partnership with states to provide the support that all parents, caregivers and communities need to assure safety, permanency and well-being for every child.”

For fiscal year 2006, $42.4 million in funding is available for community-based child abuse prevention programs plus $27 million to help improve states’ child protective services. The Bush Administration has asked Congress to allow states to use federal foster care funds for a broader array of services, including child abuse prevention and post-adoption services. The proposal is designed to create greater flexibility so states are better equipped to prevent child abuse [click here for additional photos from this event].

The full report, “Child Maltreatment 2004,” is available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/pubs/cm04/index.htm.

 

 

 

 

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