Measure
The number of confirmed victims of child abuse and neglect per 1,000 children under the age of 18.
Trend
No Change / Uncertain
Why is This Indicator Important?
Because children are the most vulnerable population group, their abuse and neglect reflect the communityÕs capacity for protection and support. Abused or neglected children are not only at risk for injury and death, but also are more likely to perform badly in school, to be substance abusers as adolescents, to be arrested for violent crime, and to abuse their own children. The experience of child abuse increases the probability of juvenile arrest by more than half.
Poverty, substance abuse, domestic violence, isolation, and a general lack of family and community supports take a toll on parental capacity and increase the risk of child abuse and neglect.
How Well is the Capital Area Community Doing?
Cases of child abuse and neglect are known to be underreported. The reported rate of child abuse and neglect for the Capital Area overall rose steadily in the late 1990s reaching a high of 15.4 in 2001, and since has declined to a rate of 13.0 per 1,000 children under the age of 18 in 2005. The rate in the Capital Area has exceeded the rate for Michigan as a whole since 1998.
For more information
Michigan Department of Human Services
Outstate Operations
235 S. Grand Avenue
Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 373-3983
www.michigan.gov/dhs
Notes and Sources
NOTE: Confirmed unduplicated victims of abuse and neglect is the unduplicated number of children substantiated as having suffered one or more types of maltreatment during the time period. When a preponderance of evidence exists that abuse or neglect occurred and a victim is identified, the case is confirmed (replaces the old term substantiated). A case may include more than one victim. Unduplicated means a child is counted only once even if that child suffered multiple types of maltreatment or multiple incidents. Rates are based on counts for fiscal years (e.g., FY 1998-99 for 1999). Rates for 2000-2005 were calculated using U.S. Census Bureau revised intercensal population estimates released in August 2006.
SOURCES: 1993-99 Office of State Demographer Population Estimates; U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates; Protective Services Management Information System, Michigan Department of Human Services; Rate calculations provided by Public Sector Consultants Inc. Also, Report PS-31D, Victims by Category of Abuse/Neglect, Protective Services Management Information System, Michigan Department of Human Services; and Lisbeth B. Schorr, Common Purpose&emdash;Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America, Anchor Books, 1997.