Reports of abuse and neglect continue to increase in the United States, while confirmed victims of such maltreatment are at another record low, according to the most recent data published by the federal government.
Child Maltreatment 2023 finds that there were nearly 4.4 million referrals to child protective services in fiscal 2023, a 3% increase from the previous year. Just over three million of those children were involved in either CPS investigations or alternative response services, essentially the same amount as last year.
The number of confirmed victims of abuse and neglect was 546,159, down 2% from 2022. This is the fifth straight year that the number of maltreatment victims has declined; the total is down 19% over that period.
The report includes an estimate of 2,000 maltreatment-related child fatalities in 2023 (Massachusetts did not provide data; the other 51 states and territories reported 1,968 fatalities). This is higher than the estimate for 2022 published last year, which was 1,990; however, this new report adjusts last year’s total up to 2,050.
“ACF recognizes that every child who dies as a result of child abuse or neglect represents an irreversible and deep trauma to families and communities,” said Meg Sullivan, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, in a press release. “We are committed to strengthening families and working across systems to provide the resources and support needed to prevent and address child abuse and neglect long before a fatality occurs. There is still much work to do.”
Reports of maltreatment either increased or remained level in every year between 2008 and 2019, then plummeted by 10% during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2023 total is nearly half a million more reports than that recent low.
Among confirmed victims of maltreatment, there were slight increases in the number who received post-response services, which includes but is not limited to entries to foster care.