Summation of Foster Care How Could You Data to Date

We wanted to summarize our foster care data prior to April, which is Child Abuse Awareness Month.

We looked at US data only from foster care media stories in our archives. Most cases come from the How Could You? Hall of Shame and Bittersweet Justice columns. Some of the cases are older cases that received media coverage in 2011 and 2012. Some had trials or family members won lawsuits in 2011 and 2012. Some cases mention “several” children without specifying a number. We tallied those cases as 2 victims per case, so this likely is an underestimation of the victims.

Know of a case missing from 2011 or 2012? Let us know.

This does not include any case in which the child should have been in foster care, but was left with their biological family. Our Snapshot series and other CPS FAIL posts that have large media coverage do contain some of those cases.

Our blog does have a few cases in which foster children have killed or abused their foster parents. That data is not included in this summation.

This data is from January 3, 2011 (when we began) to March 20, 2012.

202  posts

395 children victimized

61 deaths. 17 of which were pre-2011, so 44 children deaths in US foster care in 2011 and 2012.

6 missing children (one is presumed dead with a murder trial next week)

186 sex abused (ranging from photographed to raped)-only 1 death/sex abuse overlap- 4 year old Christina Meeks.

124 children physically abused (this overlaps with sexual abuse somewhat)

39 cases involving food abuse/starvation(there is overlap with other abuses in some cases and deaths)

14 children financially abused (id theft or outright money theft)-there is overlap with other abuses in some cases.

24 unspecified cases that are in the category of “neglect abuse or death”-these come from the Oklahoma payout to victims.

2 foster care alleged perpetrators killed themselves-Scott Hamrick (sex abuse alleged of 4 daughters-wife still under investigation) and Shanda Lou Yenglin(tried to kill 4 children and herself but only she succeeded/died). BOTH cases involved carbon monoxide asphyxiations.

CDC Releases Lifetime Cost of Child Abuse

“The total lifetime estimated financial costs associated with just one year of confirmed cases of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, psychological abuse and neglect) is approximately $124 billion, according to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published in Child Abuse and Neglect, The International Journal.

This study looked at confirmed child maltreatment cases, 1,740 fatal and 579,000 non–fatal, for a 12–month period. The lifetime cost for each victim of child maltreatment who lived was $210,012, which is comparable to other costly health conditions, such as stroke with a lifetime cost per person estimated at $159,846 or type 2 diabetes, which is estimated between $181,000 and $253,000. The costs of each death due to child maltreatment are even higher.

“No child should ever be the victim of abuse or neglect – nor do they have to be. The human and financial costs can be prevented through prevention of child maltreatment,” said Linda C. Degutis, Dr.P.H., M.S.N., director of CDC′s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

Child maltreatment has been shown to have many negative effects on survivors, including poorer health, social and emotional difficulties, and decreased economic productivity. This CDC study found these negative effects over a survivor′s lifetime generate many costs that impact the nation′s health care, education, criminal justice and welfare systems.

Key findings:

• The estimated average lifetime cost per victim of nonfatal child maltreatment includes:
• $32,648 in childhood health care costs
• $10,530 in adult medical costs
• $144,360 in productivity losses
• $7,728 in child welfare costs
• $6,747 in criminal justice costs
• $7,999 in special education costs

• The estimated average lifetime cost per death includes:
• $14,100 in medical costs
• $1,258,800 in productivity losses

Child maltreatment can also be linked to many emotional, behavioral, and physical health problems.

Associated emotional and behavioral problems include aggression, conduct disorder, delinquency, antisocial behavior, substance abuse, intimate partner violence, teenage pregnancy, anxiety, depression, and suicide.

Past research suggests that child maltreatment is a complicated problem, and so its solutions cannot be simple. An individual parent or caregiver′s behavior is influenced by a range inter–related factors such as how they were raised, their parenting skills, the level of stress in their life, and the living conditions in their community. Because of this complexity, it is critical to invest in effective strategies that touch on all sectors of society.

“Federal, state, and local public health agencies as well as policymakers must advance the awareness of the lifetime economic impact of child maltreatment and take immediate action with the same momentum and intensity dedicated to other high profile public health problems –in order to save lives, protect the public′s health, and save money,” said Dr. Degutis.

Several programs have demonstrated reductions in child maltreatment and have great potential to reduce the human and economic toll on our society. Several examples of effective programs include:

• Nurse–Family Partnership, an evidence–based community health program. Partners a registered nurse with a first–time mother during pregnancy and continues through the child′s second birthday. http://www.nursefamilypartnership.org/
• Early Start, provides coordinated, family–centered system of services: http://www.dds.ca.gov/earlystart/California′s response to federal legislation providing early intervention services to infant and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
• Triple P, a multilevel parenting and family support system: http://www.triplep–america.com/ Aims to prevent severe emotional and behavioral disturbances in children by promoting positive and nurturing relationships between parent and child.

The article, “The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention,” is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/aip/01452134
Child abuse and neglect cost the United States $124 billion
[CDC 2/1/12]

This part: “An individual parent or caregiver′s behavior is influenced by a range inter–related factors such as how they were raised, their parenting skills, the level of stress in their life, and the living conditions in their community” should be able to be assessed in prospective foster parents.
Spike in Child Deaths in Georgia

While our archive does not list those children that should have been in care, the errors of CPS are also on that side of the equation. In a 10-week period from December 2011 to February 2012, there was a spike in deaths of children that may have been missed oversight by CPS: 35 DIED.

Child deaths up in families watched by Ga. agency
[NECN 2/18/12]

Death In CPS Care Video

See this YouTube here.

We did not expect to be tallying this many cases when we began. TOTAL REFORM is needed NOW!

REFORM Puzzle Piece