What’s measured The report examines substantiated reports of child abuse or neglect per county for the fiscal years 2004-05 and 2005-06. The indicator does not document the percentage of children abused and/or neglected in a county, or even the percentage of children who are the subjects of reports of abuse and/or neglect. It represents only the percentage of abuse and/or neglect reports made to each county’s child protective services that are substantiated by those agencies, based on investigative findings. The actual number of reports of abuse and/or neglect is not available on a county basis. Data for this indicator are from the NC Department of Health and Human Services Division of Social Services and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. For convenience, “child abuse and/or neglect” is shortened below to “child abuse.” The regional indicator is calculated as an un-weighted average of county indicators. Why it’s measured Child abuse is a measure of the well-being of a vulnerable segment of the population. Child abuse has been shown to have both profound immediate as well as long- term effects on child development. The immediate effects of abuse can be observed in children that are often times passive and withdrawn from others. The long- term effects of abuse can be witnessed in higher rates of psychiatric disorders, increased rates of substance abuse, and a host of severe relationship difficulties. This measurement will also assist agencies in their efforts to address this issue and provide a measurement for initiatives to reduce the amount of children that are abused in this region. Indicator results For fiscal year 2005-06, the regional county average of substantiated reports of child abuse was 23.5%. The 14-county average for fiscal 2005-06 was 1.4 percentage points (or 6 percent) higher than the North Carolina average (22.1%) and 13.5 percentage points (or 36 percent) lower than the South Carolina average (37.0%). The highest rates of substantiated reports of child abuse for 2005-06 occurred in Iredell (38.4%), York (33.0%), and Chester and Lancaster counties (31.0% each). The lowest rates occurred in Union (12.2%), Gaston (14.8%) and Cleveland (15.6%) counties. It is important to note that although South Carolina has data available for 2005-06, it does not have data for 2004-05, limiting historic trend analysis to the region’s North Carolina counties. Of the eleven North Carolina counties that reported child abuse and/or neglect for 2004-05 and 2005-06, two counties’ rates of substantiated child abuse reports remained relatively unchanged (Lincoln and Mecklenburg), while five showed increases (Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, and Iredell), and four showed decreases (Gaston, Rowan, Stanly and Union). Evaluation The absence of trend data for the entire region limits the ability to interpret the indicator results. However, the more than two-fold difference between the lowest and highest rates reported by counties suggests that further investigation into underlying causes is warranted. Are the higher numbers the result of more instances of child abuse or of increased willingness to report suspected abuse, and vice-versa for the lower numbers? Connections Concern for the welfare of children, particularly those who are abused and neglected, has been a long-standing issue among medical and health care professions, social service providers, and the general public. There are connections to education, health, and public safety.
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