New Federal Report Demonstrates Reduction in Child Maltreatment Victims and Underscores Need for Continued Action

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released the 2023 Child Maltreatment Report through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The report indicates a continued decline in the number of children identified as victims of maltreatment, reflecting the coordinated efforts at federal, state and local levels to protect children and support families.

The report shows that in fiscal year (FY) 2023, approximately 3.1 million children received a response from Child Protective Services (CPS), with 546,159 identified as victims of maltreatment. While this marks another year of a continued decline in victimization rates, it highlights the ongoing need for proactive measures to prevent and address child abuse and neglect. The report also gives a national estimate on child deaths due to maltreatment, which decreased to 2,000 in FY 2023 compared to 2,050 in FY 2022. 

“Ensuring the safety of children has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Meg Sullivan, ACF Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary. “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. 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.”

ACF’s actions to reduce child fatalities most recently include an intent to fund a new National Technical Assistance Center that will work with states and their partners to improve reporting, analysis, and understanding of child maltreatment fatalities. Understanding the circumstances surrounding the tragedy of a child fatality through improved data collection, reporting and analysis of all child fatalities is essential for prevention.

The report also emphasizes the critical importance of early intervention and prevention efforts. In FY 2023, over 1.7 million children received prevention services to address risk factors and strengthen family resilience. Each state bases its own definitions of child abuse and neglect on standards set by federal law. Most states recognize four major types of maltreatment: neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment and sexual abuse. The report indicates that 64% of victims experienced neglect and not abuse. 

“Preventing child maltreatment requires collaboration across all child-serving systems,” said Rebecca Jones Gaston, Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. “As the report indicates that the majority of children are victims of neglect, and not abuse, we must ensure that parents and children are not being punished for poverty and have access to the resources and support they need to live safe and secure lives.”

During the Biden-Harris Administration, ACF has underscored the need to differentiate between poverty and neglect. ACF has highlighted the different ways in which state child welfare agencies can provide concrete and economic supports that can ameliorate the conditions of poverty, most recently issuing guidance on how states can use funds through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families to address the basic economic needs of families that can help prevent maltreatment.

When states submit their data, they have an opportunity to submit commentary that may provide context to the data published in the report. States have attributed the decline in CPS responses to improvements in screening tools, the resolution of backlogs, and the adoption of alternative response programs.

The 2023 Child Maltreatment Report is the 34th edition of this annual publication, providing national and state-level data on child abuse and neglect as reported by CPS agencies across the country. The full report is available at Child Maltreatment 2023.

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