1996.09.18 : Survey Shows Dramatic Increase in Child Abuse and Neglect, 1986-1993

The Department of Health and Human Services today released a survey estimating that child abuse and neglect nearly doubled in the United States between 1986 and 1993. The survey also indicates that while the number of total child maltreatment ins tances that were investigated by state agencies remained constant from 1986 to 1993, the percentage of cases investigated declined dramatically.

Releasing data from the third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala challenged states to enhance their child abuse prevention and detection efforts.

"It is shameful and startling to see that so many more children are in danger and that proportionately fewer incidents are investigated," Secretary Shalala said. "These findings confirm the vital need for federal support to the states that Preside nt Clinton vigorously defended and secured in the face of Congressional proposals to eliminate it. Now states, schools, health care professionals all of us must commit ourselves to investigating and preventing child abuse with far greater effectiveness than we have seen in the past."

The report estimates that the number of abused and neglected children grew from 1.4 million in 1986, when the last NIS report was conducted, to over 2.8 million in 1993. During the same period, the number of children who were seriously injured qu adrupled from about 143,000 to nearly 570,000, the report says.

The National Incidence Study (NIS) is designed to estimate the actual number of abused and neglected children in the United States, including cases not reported to child protective services. Instead of relying only on official reports of abuse an d neglect, NIS also bases estimates on information from more than 5,600 community professionals who come into contact with maltreated children in a variety of settings.

Officially reported cases of child abuse and neglect also increased during the 1986-1993 period. However, the number of children confirmed by child protective services as victims of maltreatment was approximately 737,000 in 1986 and just over 1 m illion in 1993, far lower than the NIS estimate of abused and neglected children.

The report released today also estimates that in 1993, only 28 percent of the children identified by the study as harmed by abuse and neglect were investigated by state child protective services, a significant decrease from the 44 percent investig ated in 1986. (The actual number of cases investigated remained constant, but the percentage declined as the total number of children increased). Schools identified the largest number of children at risk, yet states investigated only 16 percent of these children. For the cases identified to the study, fewer than 50 percent of all children identified as maltreated by any source, except law enforcement, were investigated by child protective services.

Calling on states to improve their performance, Shalala said, "We are giving states more flexibility, demanding more accountability and focusing on the only bottom line that matters: results."

Secretary Shalala outlined efforts that the Clinton administration has proposed and taken to help states and local communities protect children from abuse and neglect. These include:

• The development of a new demonstration program to give states more flexibility to test innovations in the delivery of family services. In her speech Secretary Shalala announced that a state waiver had been granted to Illinois. The first waive r in this demonstration program was granted to Delaware on June 14.
• The Administration's strong opposition prevented Congress from dismantling and block granting programs for abused, abandoned, and neglected children.
• The release of $23 million this week in prevention grants for community-based family services in all 50 states.
  
  
• Clinton administration initiatives in Family Preservation and Family Support to help families in crisis.
• $2.5 million in increased resources for state public health agencies to ensure that maternal and child health programs be expanded to include child protection, family preservation and family support.
• An unprecedented level of technical assistance to states to help them improve their child welfare services, including helping children find permanent homes, and supporting children's well being.
• "We promise to work with states to achieve results," Secretary Shalala said. "We will do it with technical assistance whenever possible, and corrective action whenever necessary."
• Other findings from the NIS survey released today include:
  
  
• Children of single parents had an 87 percent greater risk of being harmed by physical neglect, and an 80 percent greater risk of suffering serious injury or harm from abuse and neglect.
• Children from families with annual incomes below $15,000 were over 22 times more likely to experience maltreatment than children from families whose incomes exceeded $30,000. They were also 18 times more likely to be sexually abused, almost 56 times more likely to be educationally neglected, and over 22 times more likely to be seriously injured.
  
  
• Girls are sexually abused three times more often than boys, while boys are at greater risk of emotional neglect and serious injury than girls. Yet, all children are consistently more vulnerable to sexual abuse from age three.
  
  
• There were no significant race/ethnicity differences in the incidence of maltreatment.

Secretary Shalala released the new findings at the Eleventh National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect in Washington, D.C. The NIS is funded by HHS' National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect and mandated by Congress. Previous NIS studies we re released in 1981 and 1988.

Note: HHS press releases are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.hhs.gov.