APPENDIX I: NATIONAL AND CALIFORNIA STATISTICS ON CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT

In 1974, Congress passed the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) which authorizes funding for the collection of national statistics, research and demonstration projects, and state child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment programs. The figures below were compiled by the Child Welfare League of America. They caution that, at present, there are too many differences in how each state defines abuse and neglect and too little agreement on what constitutes an appropriate state response to permit valid comparisons based exclusively on this data.⁽¹⁸²⁾

With the growth in public awareness the number of children reported as abused or neglected has greatly increased.

Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect

In 1986, an estimated 2.09 million cases of child abuse and neglect were reported. By 1995 that number had jumped to 2.96 million, a 42% rise in ten years. The number reported, per 1,000 total population of children, increased by 27%--from 33 per 1,000 in 1986 to 42 per 1,000 in 1995.⁽¹⁸³⁾ In number of total cases reported per 1,000 of the child population, California rates 11 states above the median, and 14 below the top at 49.9. Total cases in California over the past 10 years grew 34% from 341,756 in 1986 to 458,262 in 1995.

Percentage of Reported Cases That Were Substantiated

In percentage of reported cases substantiated, California is above the national average of 33% with 36%.

Nationally 6% of all children are under age one, and they make up 7% of the substantiated abuse cases; 29% are 1-5, and they are 33% of the cases; children from 6-12 are both 39% of the population and of the cases; and after age 13 children are 27% of the population and 21% of the cases. Real numbers for California reflect this spread, but percentages are not available.

National data on gender indicates 51% of all children are boys and they are 47% of children abused. The data on girls is just the opposite, 49% of the population and 53% of children abused.

By far the largest number of children suffer maltreatment at the hands of their own parents. When data for physical abuse, emotional abuse and criminal neglect are folded together 81% of all abuse is by a parent, 10.6 by another relative, 5.0% by non caregivers, 1.1% by child care providers, 0.5% by foster parents, and 0.4% by facility staff. 3.4% was unknown. California data is not included in this report.

National statistics on numbers of children who were physically abused compared to the population, show that California is well above the median of 2.7 at 5.6; on sexual abuse the median is 1.4 per 1,000 and California ranks at 2.8, but well below the high of 6.3; In neglect the median is 7.0, California is at 8.7 and the national high is 17.6. Any of these figures, however, may reflect the differences in the way states report and define abuse and neglect.

In children removed from their homes, California is again just above the national median. Of the total population the national data reflects 2.3 children per 1,000 are removed from their homes each year. California data reflects 2.8. The national high is 4.5.

Of the children reported for abuse or neglect and referred for investigation the national median is 49.0 per 1,000. California is near this at 55.1. The highest is 163.9. One variable reflected here is the availability of in-home services or Family Preservation.

Children in Out-of-Home Care (Foster Care):

Regarding children per 1,000 in out-of-home care, California rated only slightly above the median of 6.3 with 8.1 per 1,000 and well be low the highest rating of 17.1. When 1995 is compared with 1990, California had a reduction of 6%, going from 10.3 to 8.1.

Of the 74,364 foster children in California, whose placement was known, 30,435 were in foster care, 24,945 were in kinship care and 17,350 were in group homes.

In national rankings, California was at the median for children in Foster Care at 3.3 per 1,000 of the state child population. For kinship care, California was fourth from the top, well above the median of 1.1 at 2.7 but well below the top of 8.8.

Child Abuse Fatalities

The median for established child abuse fatalities in 1995 was 1.4 per 100,000 children. That year, California had 66 maltreatment related fatalities or 0.7 per 100,000, down from 1.0 per 100,000 in 1990.

This report does not show data as to ethnicity, age and gender for California, but the national data is worth noting. While 66% of the nation's children are Caucasian, they made up 52% of the deaths from abuse and neglect in 1995; 15% are African American, 40% of the deaths; 14% Latino and 4% of the deaths; 1% American Indian and 3% of the deaths; 4% Asian/Pacific Islander and 1% of the deaths.

By age: 6% of all U.S. Children are under age 1. They were 39% of the children killed by abuse and neglect. 29% are ages 1-5, 46% of the deaths; 39% ages 6-12 and 10% of the deaths; 27% 13 and older and 5% of the deaths. Children five years old and younger comprise only 35% of all America's children, yet 85% of all deaths from abuse and neglect occur in this age group.

Boys are 51% of the population and 55% of the deaths from abuse and neglect, girls at 49% and 45%.

Of these deaths 68% were at the hand of a parent. Another 10% by the boy/girlfriend of a parent; 3% by another relative; 2.5% by a step-parent; 2.3% by a sibling. Only 0.1% was by a stranger. The rest were other caregivers, friends, neighbors, etc.

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