Ky. is 5th in the U.S. for volume of child abuse reports. Here’s how to take action
For this year’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month, we’re examining the most recent child abuse data from the federal government.
Kentucky had the fifth most reports of child abuse and neglect in the U.S. in 2020, with 95.2 reports per 1,000 children.
Not all reports lead to investigations, though. Some may be “screened out” because they do not contain enough information or do not pertain to child abuse or neglect, among other reasons.
The commonwealth also had double the average response time for child protective services action in 2020 than the national mean, at 200 hours compared to 99 hours across the U.S.
According to the federal government’s Child Maltreatment Report of 2020, some states’ explanations for long response times are related to geography (distance from agency to alleged victim), terrain difficulties and weather delays.
Although response times were longer in Kentucky, there was a lighter caseload put on response workers in the commonwealth than nationally in 2020. In Kentucky, there were 44 completed reports per investigation and alternative response reporter, while nationally the number was 67 (for the 41 states for which data were available). Alternative response workers primarily focus on meeting the needs of the family and do not determine if a child was maltreated or is at risk of maltreatment.
Here’s how to make a report and ways to protect children.
How can you report suspected child abuse or neglect?
Child abuse is chronically under-reported, and child sexual abuse is only reported to legal authorities 6% to 15% of the time. You may not be 100% certain a child is being abused, but reports are confidential and officials recommend reporting when you believe a child has been harmed or is at risk for harm.
If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first.
You can also call 877-597-2331 or 800-752-6200 to report child abuse or neglect in Kentucky.
In non-emergency situations, you can use Kentucky’s online reporting system. The online system is monitored from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reports are not reviewed on weekends, evenings or state holidays.
What else can I do for child abuse prevention month?
Prevent Child Abuse America recommends 10 steps to preventing child abuse:
Be a nurturing parent.
Help a relative, friend or neighbor with child care so the parents or guardians can rest or spend time together.
Help yourself by taking a time out when you feel overwhelmed or out of control. Don’t take your frustrations out on your child.
Never shake a crying baby. Shaking a child could lead to severe injury or death. Learn what to do when your baby won’t stop crying.
Get involved. Ask your community leaders, clergy, libraries and schools to develop services to meet the needs of children and families.
Help to develop parenting resources at your local library. If your local library doesn’t already have parenting resources, request or offer to help obtain them.
Promote prevention programs in school. Educating teachers and parents about identifying warning signs and reporting child abuse can help keep children safe.
Monitor your child’s media consumption.
Volunteer at a local child abuse prevention program.
Report suspected abuse or neglect.
You can find more information about showing support for preventing child abuse in this outreach kit.
Do you have a question about child abuse in Kentucky? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out the form below or email ask@herald-leader.com.
