The number of child abuse and neglect related deaths reached an all time high in Texas last year. KUT’s Nathan Bernier reports, the state is still trying to figure out why.
280 children died from abuse or neglect in the fiscal year that ended in 2009. That’s according to an annual report from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. 67 more children died that year than in 2008. It’s the highest number on record.
“We’re obviously very concerned about the increase,” says Department of Family and Protective Services spokesman Patrick Crimmins. He says so far – they have not been able to pinpoint a cause.
“We looked at as many factors as we could think of to look at,” Crimmins said. For example, child population only went up from 08 to 09 by about a percent, and that wouldn’t explain a 30 percent increase. The numbers of investigations remained about the same. The number of reports to our abuse-neglect hotline remained about the same. You know, we’re trying to analyze the data and figure it out.”
Director of the Center for Public Policy Priorities’ Scott McCowen says the deaths are the result of high child poverty and a high teen birth rate. “When you have children born to young mothers, many of whom are living in poverty, you’re going to see more child deaths from abuse and neglect,” McCowen explained.
The largest increase in child abuse-neglect fatalities last year was in Harris County. That county also has the highest number of Texans living in poverty.
The Department of Family Protective Services says the situation has improved over the past five years as it sought to overhaul the system and hire more case workers. But despite a decrease in caseload, the turnover rate among caseworkers has increased. Today, it stands at almost 24%.
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