Child Abuse and Neglect
Statistically, more than 80% of perpetrators of child maltreatment are the child's biological parents. There is more child neglect than there is physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse combined. The overwhelming number of child neglect incidents are due to inadequate supervision, followed by inadequate food/clothing/shelter.
Costs: Prevent Child Abuse America conservatively estimates the cost of child
abuse and neglect to the United States at a startling $103.8 billion
each year. Direct costs of more than $33 billion include foster care
services, hospitalization, mental health treatment, and law
enforcement. Indirect costs of over $70 billion include loss of
productivity, as well as expenditures related to chronic health
problems, special education, and the criminal justice system.
Prevention: Prevention of child abuse is more humane and more cost-effective than treating child abuse victims. However, for each dollar spent by the federal government on treating the victims of abuse and neglect, only one penny is spent on child abuse prevention. Child abuse funding lags woefully behind spending on other public health concerns such as cancer and heart disease.
The Healthy Families and First Steps parent support programs work with first-time parents of newborns to establish healthy, non-abusive parenting practices.
PCAA's Healthy Families provides weekly home visits for up to four years to families who have been assessed as at-risk for future abuse. In 2008-2009, 213 families were served and 22 families graduated in June 2009. Parenting classes teach improved family communication and non-physical discipline techniques.
Community education provides presentations by staff and volunteers to community groups on child abuse prevention and recognizing/reporting abuse.
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