Protecting America's Children
Click on the graphic below to view the advertisement running in Roll Call, The Hill and Politico in order to compel legislators to bring the national attention and federal resources to bear on what has become a national tragedy.
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NASW is alarmed and concerned by the rising number of child deaths across our nation and is committed to improving the child protection system that is currently stretched too thin.
Over 10,000 U.S. children died from abuse and neglect in their homes between 2001-2007. There was a 35 percent increase in child maltreatment deaths during this period. Despite the best efforts of the many who have worked countless hours addressing child maltreatment, the U.S. continues to fall short of protecting its youngest citizens. Seventy-five percent of fatalities in 2007 were children ages four or younger, and almost half were under the age of one. Seventy percent of these fatalities involved caregivers, many of whom are young parents, experiencing depression and substance abuse, living in poverty and in many instances, victims of violence themselves.
With the loss of each innocent child, families are also dismantled and the child welfare workforce is shaken. Child welfare workers are too often overburdened, working under intense pressure with insufficient resources. They are responsible for critical life and death decisions, while managing high case loads with limited supervision and support. This unwieldy workload negatively affects the safety, permanence and well-being of children, youth and families in addition to the recruitment and retention of qualified child welfare staff.
States that allocate more funding to their child protective services are more likely to investigate all abuse and neglect reports because their staffs have more manageable workloads. In addition, they are also more likely to retain their staff, invest in their training and provide services to families in a timely manner, potentially preventing episodes of child maltreatment.
NASW, in partnership with Every Child Matters Education Fund, National Children’s Alliance and the National District Attorneys Association, is asking that Congress:
- Hold hearings on child fatalities;
- Provide emergency funds to cease state cuts in child protection services; and
- Adopt a national strategy to end child abuse fatalities
We Can Do Better. For more information about efforts to protect children, click here.
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