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National and State Child Abuse and Neglect Statistics
These resources present national and State statistics and data on the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. Child victimization and sources of data are also addressed.
The annual Child Maltreatment report, listed below, presents data on the occurrence of child abuse and neglect known to child protective services (CPS) agencies in the United States. The National Incidence Studies, also listed below, estimate the prevalence of child abuse and neglect by collecting data on the scope of the problem beyond the reports of abuse or neglect that CPS agencies investigate.
Because time is needed to compile, analyze, and publish data, statistical publications often are released 2 or more years after the time period being analyzed. Information Gateway makes every effort to ensure the resources provided are the most current statistics available.
Child Maltreatment 2010 | |
Author(s): | United States. Children's Bureau |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 5,340KB) |
Year Published: | 2011 - 246 pages |
This report summarizes child abuse statistics submitted by states to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) during 2010. The data are presented in aggregate and by state, and trends are reported when available. Topics include sources of reports; time for response; victimization rates; types of maltreatment; age, race and gender of victims; age and gender of perpetrators; relationship of perpetrators to the victim; number of child fatalities; types of services provided; and additional research related to child maltreatment. During FFY 2010, an estimated 695,000 children in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico were ... |
National Incidence Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS)
Addresses a congressionally mandated, periodic research effort to assess the incidence of child abuse and neglect in the United States. This webpage provides information and reports from the four NIS studies.
Child Welfare Outcomes Report Data
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Features a custom report builder that offers access to the most current Child Welfare Outcomes data before the full report is published. The website provides information on the performance of States in seven outcome categories as well as data on contextual factors and findings of analyses conducted across States.
Child Maltreatment 2010: Summary of Key Findings | |
Series Title: | Numbers and Trends |
Author(s): | Child Welfare Information Gateway. |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 386KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2012 - 4 pages |
Presents summarized information from Child Maltreatment 2010,, a report based on data submissions by State child protective services agencies for Federal fiscal year 2010. Statistics include the number of allegations of mistreatment, the number and outcomes of investigations, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, fatalities, and services. |
Child Welfare Outcomes 2007-2010: Report to Congress | |
Author(s): | Children's Bureau. |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 9,104KB) |
Year Published: | 2012 - 403 pages |
Mandated by the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, this annual report analyzes the performance of state child welfare agencies on seven child welfare outcomes including the recurrence of child abuse and neglect, permanency planning, placement stability, and the safety of children in foster care. See a list of all Child Welfare Outcomes Reports. Data were obtained from state reports provided to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting Systems (AFCARS) and the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) in 2007 -- 2010. The report contains information on how the Department of Health and Human ... |
The Decline of Child Maltreatment (PDF - 138 KB)
Wilson
The Sounding Board, June 2010
Reviews research findings from the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4) that indicate the rates of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse have declined under the Harm Standard. The paper discusses reasons for the decline of physical and sexual abuse.
Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN)
Provides information on the LONGSCAN consortium of research studies on the etiology and impact of child maltreatment. The website offers information about the long-term studies, sample demographics, measures utilized, policies and publications, and more.
Male Perpetrators of Child Maltreatment: Findings from NCANDS | |
Author(s): | United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation., Walter R. McDonald and Associates. Shusterman, Fluke, Yuan |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 368KB) |
Year Published: | 2005 - 39 pages |
Using case-level data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect System (NCANDS) for 2002, analyses of the characteristics of male perpetrators of maltreatment were conducted. The study utilized an 18-State data set of 192,392 perpetrators identified by the child protective services system during 2002. The relationship of the perpetrators to the child victims, as well as whether the perpetrator acted alone or with another person, was considered along with demographic characteristics of both perpetrators and victims, and circumstances of the maltreatment. Research questions were: 1) What are the characteristics of male perpetrators of child maltreatment? 2) What specific patterns of ... |
Nonfatal Maltreatment of Infants: United States, October 2005-September 2006 (PDF - 320 KB)
Brodowski, Gaudiosi, Yuan, Zikratova, Oritz, Aveni, et al.
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 57(13), 2008
Presents data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) on the prevalence and type of nonfatal maltreatment of infants younger than 1 year old.
Rereporting and Recurrence of Child Maltreatment : Findings from NCANDS | |
Author(s): | United States. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation., Walter R. McDonald and Associates. Fluke, Shusterman, Hollinshead, Yuan |
Availability: | View Download (PDF - 397KB) Order (Free) - Add to Cart |
Year Published: | 2005 - 33 pages |
Most children who are subjects of a report of maltreatment to the State or local child protective services (CPS) agency are involved just once with CPS during their lives. Other children are referred more than once and their referrals result in repeated investigations or assessments (rereporting). Some of these children are found to have been revictimized (recurrence). This paper focuses on rereporting and recurrence, and on gaining a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding these children with repeated involvement with CPS. Most previous studies of subvsequent reports alleging maltreatment of the same child or of revictimization have included only small ... |
Section 11 - Child Protection, Foster Care, and Adoption Assistance (PDF - 3268 KB)
U.S. House of Representatives (2008)
In Green Book
Provides data on funding and participants of federally funded child welfare programs, including trends that affect child welfare populations and national foster care and adoption information.
Child victimization
Child Abuse/Exploitation
National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Presents a searchable database of publications and abstracts addressing child abuse and neglect and child exploitation.
Crimes Against Children Research Center
University of New Hampshire
Researches the victimization of children and adolescents both within and outside the family. The Center's research addresse criminal acts as defined by law, child abuse and neglect, child-to-child violence, and indirect victimization.
Poly-Victimization in a National Sample of Children and Youth (PDF - 77333 KB)
Turner, Finkelhor, & Ormrod
American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 38(3), 2010
Documents children's lifetime exposure to multiple victimization types and examines the association between victimizations and the extent of trauma.
Prevalence of Child Victimization, Abuse, Crime, and Violence Exposure
Finkelhor (2011)
In Violence Against Women and Children, Volume 1: Mapping the Terrain
View Abstract
Explores the occurrence of child abuse, the scope of child victimization, and the number of children experiencing four or more kinds of victimization. The chapter discusses trends indicating declines and recommendations for future research.
Trends in Childhood Violence and Abuse Exposure: Evidence From 2 National Surveys (PDF - 246 KB)
Finkelhor, Turner, Ormrod, & Hamby
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 164(3), 2010
Relates the experiences of children aged 2 to 17 years, from 2003 and 2008, which were assessed through interviews with them and their caregivers to determine trends in children's exposure to abuse, violence, and crime victimizations.
Victims of Crime - Juveniles
National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Presents a searchable database of publications and abstracts addressing criminal cases of child abuse and neglect and other crimes against children and youth.
Sources of data
Federal and State Reporting Systems
Children's Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Presents an overview of the Federal and State reporting systems that provide data to monitor and improve child welfare outcomes: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS), National Child Abuse and Neglect Data Systems (NCANDS), National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD), and Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS).
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
Cornell University
Acquires, makes available, and sells data sets relevant to the study and secondary analysis of child abuse and neglect. The archive is part of the Children's Bureau Training and Technical Assistance Network.