Child Abuse and Maltreatment - Children and Youth in Indicated Reports of Child Abuse and Maltreatment
Child Abuse/Maltreatment-Children in Indicated Reports of Abuse/Maltreatment[view
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Data Provider:NYS Office of Children and Family Services
Life
Area: Family
Definition:
Child abuse and maltreatment represent an impairment or imminent danger of impairment of a child’s physical, mental or emotional condition due to the failure of a parent, guardian or other person legally responsible for the child to exercise a minimum degree of care toward the child. This can involve the failure to provide a minimum degree of care regarding a child’s basic needs, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, education, or proper supervision or guardianship. It can also involve the parent or other legally responsible person's use of excessive corporal punishment, the abuse or misuse of drugs or alcohol, and abandonment of a child (U.S. DHHS, 2006).
Children and youth in indicated reports of child abuse and maltreatment represents the number of unique children experiencing child abuse and neglect in a given year and the rate per 1,000 children and youth 0 through 17 years in the general population.
Significance:
Children may suffer from child abuse and maltreatment regardless of their socioeconomic status, race or ethnic backgrounds. There are short- and long-term negative consequences related to child abuse and maltreatment, including adverse health, educational attainment and social and behavioral development. As noted by the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2005), persistent stress resulting from child maltreatment for young children can disrupt early brain development and impair development of the nervous and immune response systems. It is, however, difficult to distinguish the extent to which these effects are caused by the child’s experience with abuse and neglect, the disruptions that often accompany service interventions (such as multiple residential placements), or the presence or absence of other factors in the child’s developmental experiences (Chalk, Gibbons & Scarupa, 2002).
Note:
The number of children reflects unique children. The unique number, within New York City or Rest of State, will count a child only once during a year even if that child has more than one indicated abuse or maltreatment.
New York City counts include investigations conducted by Administration for Children's Services Borough Field Offices and the Office of Special Investigations.
Findings:
While the rate of child abuse and maltreatment in 2008 in New York State increased across the state from the rate in 2000, the rate increased more dramatically in New York City (from 13.1 to 17.2 per 1,000 children 0 to 17 years) than in Rest of State (13.6 to 16.5 per 1,000 children 0 to 17 years). The rate of child abuse and maltreatment was lower in Rest of State in 2008 than in New York City (16.5 compared to 17.2 per 1,000 children 0 to 17 years). This represents a marked reversal of the pattern for 2000 (13.6 compared to 13.1 per 1,000 children). In 2000, the number of unique children in indicated reports of child abuse and maltreatment totaled 63,075. In 2008, the number of unique children and youth in indicated reports of child abuse and maltreatment was 79,356.
References:
Chalk, Rosemary, Alison Gibbons, and Harriet J. Scarupa. 2002. “The multiple dimensions of child abuse and neglect: New insights into an old problem.” Child Trends Research Brief. Washington, DC: Child Trends.
National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. 2005. “Excessive stress disrupts the architecture of the developing brain.” Working Paper no. 3. Waltham, MA: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. 2006. 2006 Child Abuse Prevention Community Resource Packet, Section 1012(f) of the Family Court Act. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information.
KWIC
Indicator(s) and Narrative For: