Indicator: Child Abuse and Neglect
- Child Abuse and Neglect
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Why This is Important
Young people, especially young children, depend upon adults for their basic safety needs. Young people who are victims of abuse and/or neglect have difficulty developing through the passages of childhood and adolescence to being adults. In addition, sometimes victims of abuse or neglect perpetrate those same actions on others.
Where We Stand
The Maine Bureau of Child and Family Services received 13,870 reports of possible child abuse or neglect in 1998 and this number rose to 19,206 by 2007. In 1998, 57% were judged to meet legal criteria allowing investigation by Child Protective Services and this percentage has decreased to 49% in 2007. In 1998, approximately 20% of the reports alleging child abuse/neglect were substantiated, meaning that abuse and or neglect had in fact occurred. However, this number has dropped significantly to less than 14% in 2007.
Data Source and Context
Data comes from the Bureau of Child and Family Services, Maine Department of Health and Human Services.